The first full-time Spanish-language broadcaster in MLB history has died, leaving a lasting impact on the sport and its fans.
René Cárdenas, the pioneering voice who brought Major League Baseball to Spanish-speaking audiences, has died at 96. As the league's first full-time Spanish-language broadcaster, Cárdenas called games for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, , and Texas Rangers over a career spanning more than four decades. S.
Hispanic community. His work paved the way for generations of Latino broadcasters and remains a cornerstone of baseball's cultural expansion. Cárdenas's legacy is one of trailblazing, much like Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier, as he made the game accessible to millions of Spanish-speaking fans, forever changing the sport's audience.
Cárdenas's impact extends beyond the baseball diamond. His work helped bridge cultural divides, fostering a sense of community among Spanish-speaking fans who felt excluded from the game. By bringing the game to life in their native language, Cárdenas created a sense of belonging and identity among fans who might have otherwise felt disconnected.
As the baseball landscape continues to evolve, Cárdenas's legacy serves as a reminder of the importance of diversity and representation in sports media. His pioneering work paved the way for future generations of broadcasters, and his impact will be felt for years to come. His legacy is a testament to the power of sports to bring people together and transcend cultural boundaries.
Today, every MLB club maintains a Spanish-language broadcast team, and the league streams games in Spanish across its digital platforms. That ecosystem, once a novelty, is now a revenue engine and cultural bridge—direct descendants of Cárdenas’s 1950s experiments that proved a single voice could open an entire market. Cárdenas’s tenure coincided with the Dodgers’ move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, a watershed moment that amplified the need for bilingual outreach.
By narrating that transition in Spanish, he helped embed baseball in the West Coast’s burgeoning Hispanic communities, laying groundwork for the sport’s modern, multicultural fanbase. Read at CBS Sports MLB
René Cárdenas was more than just a broadcaster - he was a cultural bridge who made baseball accessible to millions of Spanish-speaking fans. His death marks the end of an era, reminding us how much the game owes to voices that expanded its reach beyond English-only airwaves. His impact on the sport will be felt for generations to come, inspiring future broadcasters and solidifying his place in baseball history.
CBS Sports MLBcbssports.comBy Mike Axisa May 12, 3:08 PM en-us
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