Robert Rudolph Balcena (August 1, 1925 - January 4, 1990) was an outfielder who debuted in the major leagues on September 16, 1956 with the Cincinnati Redlegs. He had two official at-bats, striking out once. He did score two runs. His last game in the majors was on September 29 of the same year. He had a long distinguished Triple-A career with the Seattle Rainiers as a centerfielder in the 1950s, and in Seattle he is fondly remembered to this day. Balcena batted righty and threw lefty. He is listed at 5'6, 160 pounds. Balcena died in his hometown of San Pedro, California at the age of 74.
Balcena was the first player of Filipino ancestry to play in a major league game. He played during Jackie Robinson's era and must be recognized for playing a role in breaking down baseball's color barrier. Balcena should be officially recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame as the first ball player of Filipino descent in the MLB and have a plaque commemorating his contribution to the game of baseball.
This commemoration is particularly important to the Filipino and Asian American communities who have supported MLB baseball for many years.
We the undersigned request that the Baseball Hall of Fame officially recognize
Robert Balcena as the first Filipino ball player in Major League Baseball.
He debuted with the Cincinnati Redlegs on September 16, 1956 and played his last MLB game on September 29, 1956. He had a stellar AAA career with the Seattle Rainiers throughout the 1950's. His numbers are not staggering, but his baseball stats paint a small picture to his historical significance to the game.
Filipino and Asian kids playing Little League baseball today and in the future need to know that baseball cares about the little ball player named
Bobby Balcena who tried to make it in the bigs in the 1950's, arguably one of the most controversial times in American history.
Bobby Balcena should be mentioned in the same breath as
Jackie Robinson,
Esteban Bellan and
Masanori Murakami. Sadly, he is currently an obscure sidenote in baseball's history. It's time that this changes.
For the good of the game, we hope the Commissioner and the Veterans Committee recognizes
Bobby Balcena's historical significance as the first Filipino ball player with a prominent plaque to hang in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
We thank you for your time and thank you for always looking out for the best interests of baseball.
