Hank Izquierdo

From BR Bullpen

Enrique Roberto Izquierdo Valdes

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.

Debut August 9, 1967
Final Game September 27, 1967
Born March 20, 1931 in Matanzas, Cuba

[edit] Biographical Information

Hank Izquierdo broke into pro ball in 1951 and played 5 years in the International League before retiring in 1962 to be the Cleveland Indians bullpen coach. The following year he made a comeback in Minnesota Twins' organization, working his way up from Class A to the big leagues in late 1967. He was 36 at the time of his major league debut. The next season, Izquierdo returned to the minors. That year, he was shot in the stomach during a robbery and nearly died, but he ultimately made a return to the diamond. In July, 1969, while serving as a player-coach for the Oklahoma City 89ers, Izquierdo got into a fight with Ted Simmons, then a minor-leaguer with the Tulsa Oilers. The fight turned to blows, Izquierdo tried to strike Simmons with a bat, and he found himself with a season-long suspension imposed by American Association President Allie Reynolds, who personally witnessed the incident. Izquierdo became a scout in the Minnesota Twins organization in the 1980s.