Overview
- Cárdenas’ death at age 96 was confirmed in team statements Monday, which said he died Sunday at his home in Houston.
- He became MLB’s first full-time Spanish broadcaster with the Dodgers in 1958 and later helped deliver the first Spanish broadcasts of the World Series in 1959 and the All-Star Game in 1961.
- He launched Spanish radio for Houston’s expansion club in 1962 and built an Astros network that carried games to 13 countries across Latin America.
- His career included 21 seasons with the Dodgers, the Rangers’ first Spanish booth in 1981, and a return to Houston for the club’s first Spanish TV calls in 2008, while mentoring voices such as Jaime Jarrín.
- He was inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame in 2024 and was a multi-time Ford C. Frick Award finalist, honors colleagues said reflected a legacy that opened doors for Latino fans and broadcasters.