José Méndez

José de la Caridad Méndez pitched 25 scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds in November 1908, extending his streak to 45 consecutive shutout innings against professional competition, and established himself as the finest pitcher in Cuba before his 22nd birthday. The press called him "El Diamante Negro," The Black Diamond. He compiled a 76-28 record in the Cuban League with three undefeated seasons, managed the Kansas City Monarchs to three Negro National League pennants, and pitched a shutout to win the deciding game of the 1924 Colored World Series at 37 years old, described as "gray, gaunt and grim" on the mound. Ira Thomas of the Philadelphia Athletics said, "He ranks among the best in the game. I do not think he is Walter Johnson's equal, but he is not far behind." The Special Committee on Negro Leagues elected him to the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Cárdenas

Méndez was born on March 19, 1887, in Cárdenas, a port city in Matanzas Province, Cuba. His parents José Méndez and Manuela Báez were successful artisans. The younger Méndez showed early talent as a musician, playing guitar and clarinet, and trained as a carpenter. Bebé Royer of the Almendares Blues discovered him playing shortstop in 1907 and converted him to pitching. Méndez debuted with Almendares in the 1908 Cuban League season and went 9-0, leading the team to the pennant.

The Reds

The Cincinnati Reds barnstormed in Havana in November 1908, and Méndez made himself a legend across three appearances. On November 15, he defeated the Reds 1-0, allowing one single to Miller Huggins in the ninth inning and striking out nine. On November 29, he entered in relief and threw seven scoreless innings on two hits. On December 3, he defeated Jean Dubuc 3-0 with a five-hit shutout. Across all three appearances, Méndez threw 25 innings against the Reds, allowed eight hits, zero runs, walked three, and struck out 24. He followed those games with two more shutouts against minor league competition in Key West, including a no-hitter, stretching his scoreless streak to at least 43 consecutive innings.

Ira Thomas of the Philadelphia Athletics watched him and wrote in Baseball Magazine in March 1913, "Méndez is a remarkable man. More than one big leaguer from the states has faced him and left the plate with a wholesome respect for the great Cuban star. He has terrific speed, great control, and he uses excellent judgment. He is a natural ballplayer if there ever was one."

Méndez pitched against major league teams during winter barnstorming tours for the next four years. In 1910, he defeated Eddie Plank twice. In 1911, he won two games against the Philadelphia Phillies, including a victory over George Chalmers. In 1912, he defeated Chief Bender of the Philadelphia Athletics. John McGraw's wife reportedly called him "the black Mathewson," comparing him to the Giants' Christy Mathewson.

El Diamante Negro

Méndez went 7-0 in the 1910 Cuban League season and 10-0 in 1913-14, his last dominant pitching year. His career Cuban League record of 76-28 (.731 winning percentage) remains the best in league history among pitchers with 40 or more wins. Cuba inducted him into its Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 as a member of the charter class.

In late 1914, Méndez developed serious arm trouble that ended his years as a frontline pitcher. He spent seasons playing shortstop and infield for the All Nations, a barnstorming team of players from multiple racial backgrounds, and pitched only sporadically. The arm trouble cost him most of five or six seasons on the mound between 1914 and 1923.

Dolf Luque, a Cuban pitcher whose lighter complexion allowed him to cross the color line and pitch in the major leagues, allegedly told Méndez, "This parade should have been for you. Certainly you're a far better pitcher than I am." The story may be apocryphal, but it captured a truth that everyone in Cuban baseball already knew.

Kansas City

Méndez joined the Kansas City Monarchs in 1920 as a playing manager. He rebuilt his arm gradually and by 1923 was pitching effectively again, going 12-4 with a 1.89 ERA and leading the Monarchs to the Negro National League pennant. He won three consecutive pennants in 1923, 1924, and 1925.

The 1924 Colored World Series was the first modern Negro Leagues championship, pitting the Monarchs against the Hilldale club. Méndez, then 37 and well past his prime, appeared in four games as a pitcher, going 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA. In the deciding final game, he pitched a shutout to clinch the championship. Reporters described him as "gray, gaunt and grim" on the mound, a pitcher who relied on guile and placement where once he threw pure heat.

Méndez managed the Monarchs to a 196-100-5 record (.662 winning percentage) across his tenure. His final pitching victory came in the Cuban League on January 26, 1927.

Havana

By the autumn of 1928, Méndez was too ill to attend a planned award ceremony in his honor. He died on October 31, 1928, in Havana, apparently in poverty, of what sources describe as tuberculosis or bronchopneumonia. He was 41. He was buried in Colón Cemetery. His name appears on a shared monument with no individual tombstone.

Méndez compiled a 76-28 record in the Cuban League, the best winning percentage in league history among pitchers with 40 or more wins. Against major league pitching in barnstorming exhibitions, he went 9-11 across 204 innings. He threw a fastball with terrific speed, a sharp curveball, and a change of pace, all delivered with control that major leaguers respected and occasionally feared. The Special Committee on Negro Leagues elected him to the Hall of Fame in 2006, 78 years after his death.