Ray Noble
From BR Bullpen
Rafael Miguel Noble Magee
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11½", Weight 210 lb.
- Debut April 18, 1951
- Final Game September 22, 1953
- Born March 15, 1919 in Central Hatillo, Cuba
- Died May 9, 1998 in Brooklyn, NY USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Catcher Ray Noble , because of the so-called "gentlemens agreement" among the baseball owners to keep Negroes from playing in the white major leagues prior to 1947, Noble (pronounced "No-Blay"), a black Cuban, didn't get his chance until he was 32 years old. A product of the Negro Leagues, Noble played for the New York Cubans and was signed by the New York Giants off the Cuban's roster and assigned to the Jersey City Giants in 1949, where he hit for a .259 average. Ray's next stop was with the Oakland Oaks of the PCL where he helped his team to the 1950 pennant, hitting .316 with 15 home runs.
When Ray debuted with the Giants on April 18, 1951, he became the second colored Cuban player to play in the major leagues, joining Minnie Minoso. There were white Cubans like Nap Reyes and Adrian Zabala but Noble was one of the first blacks.
Noble couldn't have picked a better year to get his first look at the big leagues, as the Giants came from 13 1/2 games back on August 12 to catch the Brooklyn Dodgers and beat them in a three game play-off for the National League pennant. In the third game of the playoffs Ray entered the contest late in the game as a replacement for Wes Westrum who was pinch-hit for. Ray was in the dugout when Bobby Thomson hit his un-forgettable clout.
Noble's big disappointment came in game six of the World Series against the Yankees when the Bronx Bombers beat the the Giants 4-3 in front of 61,711 fans at Yankee Stadium. Ray pinch-hit for Jim Hearn in the top of the eighth inning with the bases loaded and two out and struck out against Johnny Sain. Noble finished his three year (1951-53) major league career with a .218 batting average and nine home runs. Ray spent 12 active seasons in the minor leagues (1949-61) and hit at a .274 clip with 130 homers, but by 1961 his 42 year old body had had enough and he returned to his native Cuban home.
Noble stayed in Cuba until 1969, when the Castro way of life made him decide to return to the United States, where his brother and son were, and opened up a liquor store in Brooklyn and stayed in the business for many years. Noble died on May 9, 1998, at age 79 in New York City.
[edit] Sources
Baseball Players of the 1950s
BR Minors Page
