By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Playing baseball while growing up in Rio Grande City in the 1960s was an important part of Cesar Perez’s life.
He became a standout right-handed pitcher with a 93-mph fastball in high school, once striking out 16 and 18 batters in back-to-back games for the Rattlers in 1975. He fanned 19 in another game.
Perez was an ironman on the mound, pitching practically every inning in getting Texas Southmost College of Brownsville to the JUCO College World Series in 1977. In 1979, he pitched for a Sam Houston State team that went 18-3 against the Southwest Conference. With Perez as the ace of the pitching staff, the Bearkats advanced to the NAIA College World Series.
Perez was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds in back-to-back years, but turned down a chance to play pro ball so he could study law.
Perez’s achievements on the mound haven’t been forgotten. He’s one of six former ballplayers to be inducted into the hall of fame at Saturday’s 44th annual Leo Najo Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mission Community Center.
“I lived and breathed baseball growing up, so this is quite an honor,” said Perez, now an attorney with offices in the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio.
The other inductees are Cesar de la Garza of Brownsville, Luis Valdez of Brownsville, Juan “Johnny” Guzman of San Antonio, Rene Ramirez of Hebbronville and Jose Benito Hernandez Sr. of Abram, which is located in the Mission/Palmview area.
De la Garza was a member of the 1965 Brownsville High Class 4A state finalist baseball team, ad Valdez was an all-star second baseman playing semi-pro ball in the 1950s for the La Tienda Amigo team. Hernandez played for a Valley semi-pro team called the Bluejays, and Guzman was an all-state pitcher at South San Antonio for coach Cliff Gustafson, who became coach of the Texas Longhorns.
Ramirez was a multi-sport standout at Hebbronville, who played one year of baseball at UT-Austin and was better known as the “Galloping Gaucho of Hebbronville” on the UT-Austin football team with Darrell Royal as his coach.
Receiving special recognition at Saturday’s event will be Jose Garza Carreon of Edinburg, Roy Garcia of Los Fresnos, Ponciano Garza of Hebbronville, Joe Rodriguez of Brownsville, and Arturo Estrada, Francois Romney and Felipe Montemayor, all of Monterrey, Mexico.
Leo Najo Day is held annually to honor the memory of Leo “Najo” Alaniz of Mission (1899-1978), one of the first native-born Mexicans to play professional baseball in the U.S. in the 1920s.
Admission to Saturday’s event is free. Doors open at 9 a.m. Barbecue plates are $7 and refreshments will be available. There will be live music.
For more information, contact Vicente Estevis at (956) 381-4844.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.