Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Boston's First DH, Orlando Cepeda, In Critical Condition

(Getty Images)
Orlando Cepeda, who forged his Hall Of Fame career in nine seasons with the San Francisco Giants, is in critical condition after a cardiac event suffered on Monday. The 80-year-old Cepeda was the very first Red Sox DH—playing in Boston for the 1973 season (the inaugural season for the DH in the American League). Even at age 35, Cepeda had a terrific year for the Red Sox—batting .289 with 20 HRs and 86 RBIs in 142 games. After that one season in Boston, he was released by the team and signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals. For his entire career, Cepeda finished with a .297 average, 379 HRs and an .849 OPS. All of our thoughts are with Orlando today—wishing for a full and speedy recovery.