Intriguing collection of baseball-related material from pre-embargo Cuba, returned to the United States by former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher, Clyde King. King managed the AAA Rochester Red Wings of the International League from 1959-62, traveling with his team to Cuba in 1960 to open their regular season against the Havana Sugar Kings, 1959 International League champions. Prior to the opening game's ceremonial first pitch, King encountered Cuban prime minister, Fidel Castro, a tale he fondly remembers in his autobiography, A King's Legacy:The Clyde King Story, stating:
"In 1960 the Rochester club opened the season in Havana. It was our first games of the regular season and it was being played in Havana because the Havana Sugar Kings were in our International League." Later adding... "So we went out to the pitcher's mound to greet the dignitary of Cuba who was about to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. When we got up to the pitcher's mound there was Fidel Castro." He continued... "He gave me a Cuban flag and cigars and wanted me to be on television. That night we had 22,000 people in that stadium. At this time we didn't know anything about his politics. It was just baseball."
Collection includes: 1) Cuban flag presented to Clyde King prior to the Red Wings season opener against the Havana Sugar Kings on April 20, 1960. Fringes in great shape but multiple folds and moderate soiling appear throughout. 2) Official 1960 Cuban Sugar Kings baseball program and scorecard w/illustration of the Sugar Kings mascot on the cover with "beisbolito" text within his crown. Program includes image of Clyde King standing beside Sugar Kings manager, Tony Castano, with the very same Cuban flag included with this collection. Program also includes May and June schedules for the Sugar Kings, along with printed rosters for the Sugar Kings, Columbus Jets, and Richmond Virginians. Printed by "Garantia" Publishing House in San Ignacio, Havana. 3) Front page of Thursday, April 21, 1960 issue of Revolucion, a daily newspaper with image of Clyde King standing next to Fidel Castro prior to ceremonial first pitch thrown by Castro himself the previous day. The article headline reads: "Easter with a Home run decides the extra inning." 4) Completed handwritten box score for the April 21 contest between the Rochester Red Wings and Havana Sugar Kings, who won 4-1 in 10 innings. Lineups for both teams include long-time major leaguers like Luke Easter, Ray Sadecki, Cookie Rojas, Del Rice, Leo Cardenas, Joe Azcue, and Orlando Pena.
Four interesting pre-embargo pieces, with further significance due to the fact that the Red Wings/Havana series, in July of 1960, represented the final regulation games ever played by American teams in Cuba.