Adrian Zabala
One of the best left-handed pitchers of the cuban baseball was the speedy Adrián Zabala, who was born in San Antonio de los Baños on August 28th, 1916. His first steps in baseball were made at ‘’Julio Pérez’’ stadium of our territory, where he showed his excellent abilities as a pitcher showing a commendable speed. Zabala debuted in the Cuban professional baseball in 1936 in Marianao and then played for three clubs (Almendares, Havana and Cienfuegos) always with very good results from the mound.
In his career he participated in an independent campaign (1947-1948), with Cuba team of the National Federation League and that same year he was elected to the Fame Hall of the Cuban Baseball in Miami. The quality showed as a pitcher and his effective personal strategy, led him to become the left-handed pitcher that won more challenges before 1962.
Among his many skills on the mound, Adrián was an artist when turning to the first base. In the pre-revolutionary period he was also the first on the list in terms of number of games released with 330 and ERA of 3.49 with 388 strikeouts, valid for 90 hits and 83 defeats. Adrián Zabala led the professional circuit several times and got a shared prize ‘’Most Valuable Player’’ in the tournament 1950 - 1951. ‘’Zabala was not only a great pitcher, but also was a great hitter’’, so said his former teammate Andres Fleitas. He never refused to give his autograph to a fan.
When the history of cuban baseball is written, we must talk about Adrián Zabala, left-handed pitcher that left a trail of sympathy among baseball lovers for the quality of his performances, as well as his personality. He died in Miami on January 4th, 2002.
