The story of Cuban Tony Oliva sheds light on when US-Cuba relations were at virtually an all-time low – in the tense aftermath of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Castro’s Cuba. Oliva’s meteoric rise in the American major leagues, oddly, was assisted by this crisis, which served to keep him in the US and led the Minnesota Twins to give him a second look after his initial lackluster showing. The result was a career that was at times culturally isolating but that led to three batting titles, including in Tony O’s first season, when he was the 1964 American League Rookie of the Year.

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