René Cárdenas

René Cárdenas
Born	1929/1930 (age 86–87) Managua, Nicaragua
Sports commentary career
Team(s)	Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers
Genre(s)	Play-by-play
Sports	Major League Baseball, Boxing

René Cárdenas (born 1929 or 1930) is a Nicaraguan sports journalist and announcer. He became the first Spanish-language announcer to cover Major League Baseball, when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958. He has also broadcast games for the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, and has announced boxing matches as well. While working for the Astros, Cárdenas developed the first international radio network, which broadcast games to Central and South America.

Cárdenas was born in Managua, Nicaragua. He is the grandson of Adán Cárdenas, who introduced baseball to Nicaragua in the late 19th century and served as the President of Nicaragua. His uncle, Adolfo, played on the Nicaraguan national baseball team.

At age 16, Cárdenas began writing about baseball for La Prensa and La Estrella de Nicaragua, Nicaraguan newspapers. He also called games on Radio Mundial.

In 1958, the Los Angeles Dodgers hired Cárdenas to announce their games on the radio in Spanish, making him the first Spanish-language baseball announcer in Major League Baseball. He trained Jaime Jarrín, who had little prior experience with baseball. Cárdenas also called a championship boxing match held between Sugar Ray Robinson and Gene Fullmer.

In 1961, he was hired by the expansion Houston Colt .45s (now the Houston Astros). He created the first international radio network for baseball in 1966 in order to help the Astros recruit talent in South and Central America. He also called events in other sports that were held at the Astrodome, including the boxing match won by Jimmy Ellis to claim the boxing championship stripped from Muhammad Ali. His signature was stamped onto the last beam used in its construction.

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