Earlier this year, Julio Urías and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were the recipients of the Golden Latino Award from the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame for their respective performances during the 2021 season. The organization additionally announced that beloved Los Angeles Dodgers figure Manny Mota would be inducted into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.
It is the first Baseball Hall of Fame Mota has joined. He enjoyed a 20-year playing career that included stints with the San Francisco Giants (1962), Pittsburgh Pirates (1963-68), Montreal Expos (1969) and Dodgers (1969-80, 82).
Mota received his Latino Baseball Hall of Fame (Salon de la Fama del Beísbol Latino) award at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday and was interviewed by legendary Spanish broadcaster Jaime Jarrín. The interview will air during the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame’s virtual ceremony in December.
Mota is grateful for the honor but doesn’t think he deserves it, via Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider:
“I was so thankful, so grateful for them making me a member of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame because I don’t think I deserve that,” Mota said. “Many others deserve it more than me, and I’m so grateful to the Lord because I feel the Lord has given me more than I deserve.”
The Latino Baseball Hall of Fame was established in La Romana, Dominican Republic in 2010, and focuses on honoring the contributions of Latin American players through three groups: Latin American players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, The Veterans, and Contemporaries (since 1959).
Mota, one of the greatest pinch-hitters in MLB, was acquired by the Dodgers in a trade with the Montreal Expos on June 11, 1969.
Since his second retirement in 1982, he has gone on to assist the organization in various roles, including connecting with Latin American players and maintaining a regular presence in the clubhouse.
Manny Mota was instructor at inaugural Dodgers Adult Camp
The first ever Dodgers Adult Camp took place at Dodger Stadium this past July, and Mota was among the coaches who provided instruction during the four-day event.
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