El Diamante Negro ("the Black Diamond") is a legend in his home country of Cuba, one of the players inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 1939. Mendez rose to worldwide fame after throwing 25 consecutive shutout innings in three appearances against the Cincinnati Reds, including a one-hit, complete game shutout. Soon after, he pitched two more shutouts, racking up 43 consecutive scoreless innings. An arm injury in 1914 caused Mendez to move to shortstop, where he played with the Detroit Stars and Chicago American Giants of the Negro Leagues, ultimately landing with the Kansas City Monarchs as player/manager, winning three consecutive pennants between 1923 and 1925. In the first Negro League World Series in 1924 against the Hilldale team, he appeared in four games, posting a 2-0 record, including a shutout victory in the final game. No less a baseball mind than John McGraw called Mendez "sort of Walter Johnson and Grover Alexander rolled into one." Mendez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Negro League Committee in 2006.

Presented here is a stunning example of Mendez' card from the 1923-24 Nacionales Cigarros issue. One of 40 baseball subjects featured in this 1920s Cuban set, the card boasts eye appeal that far surpasses its technical grade, as the image is sharp and clear, Mendez' haunting eyes seemingly peering right off the card. The reverse, while intact, exhibits some telltale signs of scrapbook removal, the culprit responsible for the reduced technical grade. Just one example of this card has been graded higher by SGC - a sole EX example - though this surely has the appearance of a higher-grade card.

Size: medium
Condition: yes