Conrado Eugenio Marrero Ramos (April 25, 1911 – April 23, 2014), nicknamed "Connie", was a Cuban professional baseball pitcher. The right-handed Marrero pitched in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1954 for the Washington Senators.
Marrero was a popular star in his native Cuba, where he had a long and successful career in the Cuban Amateur League. He pitched for Cuba in several Amateur World Series competitions, including the legendary championship game of the 1941 Amateur World Series, and played several excellent seasons with the professional Cuban League and the minor league Havana Cubans. Marrero made his major league debut when he was 38 years old, and was one of the oldest players in the league throughout the duration of his time in the major leagues.
Marrero's pitches were primarily "slow stuff—curves, sliders and knucklers." Roberto González Echevarría provides the following description: "A bit plump, of less than average height [he was listed as 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall and 158 pounds (72 kg)], with short arms and small hands, Marrero looked, in uniform, like someone in a baseball costume, not a player. He looked more like a Spanish grocer or peasant than an athlete." His nicknames in Cuba were "El Guajiro de Laberinto" (The Peasant from Laberinto), reflecting his rural origins, "El Premier", and "El Curvo."
At age 102, Marrero was the oldest living former Major League Baseball player at the time of his death.
Marrero was born on a farm called El Laberinto in the district of Sagua la Grande, Cuba; he was of Canarian descent. He played for various teams in his rural region, then in 1938 at age 27, he was invited to pitch for the Cienfuegos team of the Cuban Amateur League. The league played on Sundays from March through September. The team was sponsored by a department store, which employed him during the week. Marrero was one of the most popular and successful pitchers in Cuban Amateur League history, winning 123 games from 1938 to 1945. According to González Echevarría, Marrero as an amateur was considered a bigger drawing card than any professional pitcher in Cuba.
From 1939 to 1943, Cuba hosted the second through sixth Amateur World Series competitions at La Tropical Stadium in Havana. Marrero was a pitcher for the Cuba national baseball team at the second Amateur World Series in 1939, the first in which Cuba competed. Only three teams competed and Cuba easily won, with Marrero contributing a victory in the only game he pitched. In the third Amateur World Series in 1940, Marrero led the Cuba team to victory, going 3–2 with a 1.15 earned run average (ERA), and was named the most valuable player of the series. In the fourth Amateur World Series in 1941, Marrero won three games, but the series ended in a tie between Cuba and the Venezuela team. Venezuela was relying on the pitching of Daniel Canónico, who went 4–0 with an ERA of 1.69 in 32 innings. Cuba challenged Venezuela to a playoff game, which was scheduled to allow Canónico time to rest. On October 23, 1941 Marrero faced Canónico for the championship. Venezuela, helped by an error by the Cuba third baseman, scored 3 runs in the bottom of the first inning; Marrero was pulled after 2 innings, and Canónico held the Cuba scoreless until the ninth inning. Venezuela held on to win the game 3–1, winning their first Amateur World Series.
In 1942, Marrero had his best amateur season, going 22–5 with a 1.22 ERA. For the fifth Amateur World Series, the Cuba national team was selected by a fan poll, and Marrero was the top vote-getter. The series featured a rematch between Marrero and Venezuela's Canónico. This time the Cuba won 8–0, and Cuba regained the Cup. In 1943 Marrero was suspended from the Amateur League for six months for accepting payment for a game and consequently was not selected for the Amateur World Series team. In 1944 he returned with a 21–8 season and was again selected for the Amateur World Series team. The series was played in Caracas, Venezuela and ended in controversy. There was a three-way tie among Mexico, Venezuela, and Cuba, forcing a playoff. However, after some questionable calls by the umpires, who were provided by Venezuela, Cuba withdrew from the tournament in protest. In 1945. Marrero again pitched for Cienfuegos in the Amateur League. He was caught pitching in a non-league game a second time and given an indefinite suspension. He then decided to turn professional.
In the winter of 1946–47, Marrero signed with the Oriente team of the National Federation League. Marrero had a good season, leading the league in victories with an 8–5 record. After the end of the Federation season, he switched to the Almendares team of the regular Cuban League for the last month of the season. Although he played only a minor role—pitching in four games and going 1–0—he participated on the winning team of one of the most famous pennant races in Cuban League history.
In the spring of 1947, Marrero, as part of a Cuba all-star team, had a chance to pitch against major league teams that were playing in Havana during spring training. He beat the New York Yankees in a rain-shortened 7-inning game, allowing one run and four hits. A week later (now pitching for the minor league Havana Cubans), he suffered a tough 1–0 loss against the Brooklyn Dodgers, allowing four hits and striking out eight. The next Cuban League season, 1947/48, Marrero returned to Almendares in the Cuban League (which was now officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball) and pitched perhaps his best season, going 12–2, setting the Cuban League all-time records for shutouts (eight) and ERA (1.12) and winning the most valuable player award. However, with Almendares tied with the Habana team with one game left, he was unable to clinch the pennant as he lost to Habana's Alex Patterson in a 3–2 game.
In 1948/49. Marrero went 6–4, as Almendares easily won another pennant. As the league champions, Almendares represented Cuba in the first Caribbean Series played in Havana in 1949. Cuba swept the series with Marrero contributing a one-run, four-hit, complete-game victory in the only game he pitched. In 1949/50 Marrero went 7–3 and led the Cuban League with an ERA of 2.66, as Almendares again won the pennant. At the second Caribbean Series, Marrero went 0–2 as Cuba was upset by Panamá. The next winter Marrero went 11–7 with a 2.37 ERA, leading the Cuban League in wins and innings pitched. Almendares, however, was edged out by Habana for the pennant in a one-game playoff. In 1951/52 Marrero went 6–9, and the next winter he went 8–8.
In 1953/54, Marrero went 7–5 and helped Almendares regain the pennant. In the sixth Caribbean Series Marrero pitched a shutout in his only appearance, but Puerto Rico won the series. In 1954/55 Marrero went 2–3 and began to be used primarily in relief. Almendares won the pennant and went to the Caribbean Series, but Marrero did not make an appearance. In 1955/56 Marrero became the manager of Almendares, but the team fell to last place, making his tenure as manager a short one. He pitched in four games and went 1–0. After being released by Almendares, Marrero signed with the Tigres de Marianao for the 1956–1957 season, where he pitched 19 innings in seven games with a 1.37 ERA. Marianao won the pennant and Marrero pitched in his last Caribbean Series, lasting 31⁄3 innings against Panamá in a game that was eventually won by his teammate, Jim Bunning. Cuba went on to win their fourth victory in nine series. The next season was Marrero's last, as he pitched only four innings in three appearances.
Marrero's career Cuban League record was 69–43. His .600 winning percentage is the sixth highest in league history among pitchers with at least 40 wins. (Of the five pitchers with a higher career winning percentage, three are in the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame—José Méndez, Ray Brown and Martín Dihigo; the other two are Carlos Royer and Camilo Pascual.) Despite not pitching in the Cuban League until he was 35 years old, his 69 victories ranks 10th on the Cuban League all-time list.