Armando Marsans, who joined the Cincinnati Reds in 1911, was the first Cuban star of the major leagues. Events in baseball have often mirrored America's social development--Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier is one example--and the story of Armando Marsans has much to teach about the United States and Latin America during the early 20th century. In detailing the career of Marsans, this work also recapitulates baseball history in Cuba and describes the early development of professional baseball in America. Examples of how Americans reacted to Marsans as a player and a person, and the prevalence of Latino stereotypes during this era, are fully explored. Part biography, part sociological study, this book introduces the reader to a physically gifted player and to a young, powerful America struggling to find its own identity in its new ethnic makeup.