Astros Hall of Fame broadcaster René Cárdenas passes away at 96

René Cárdenas, a broadcasting pioneer and Houston Astros Hall of Famer who -- in 1958 -- became the first full-time Spanish-language announcer in Major League Baseball history, died Sunday at his home in Houston. He was 96.

Cárdenas helped blaze a path for Spanish-language broadcasters in MLB when he joined the Dodgers' radio booth in 1958, the team’s first season after moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Three years later, he moved to Houston to join the expansion Colt .45s -- later the Astros -- becoming the club’s first Spanish-language broadcaster and its director of Spanish broadcasting.

During his initial stint with the Astros, Cárdenas expanded the club’s reach within Houston’s large Hispanic community and later extended that influence far beyond the United States with the creation of the first international radio network for baseball. The network helped the Astros recruit talent in South and Central America, eventually reaching audiences in 13 countries.

Cárdenas was also part of the first Spanish-language broadcasts of both the World Series in 1959 and the All-Star Game in '61, and called high-profile events in other sports, including the Muhammad Ali-Jimmy Ellis heavyweight boxing match that took place in the Astrodome in ’71.

"With yesterday’s passing of Rene Cárdenas, we lost a true legend and pioneer in broadcasting," the Astros said Monday on social media. "As the [franchise's] first Spanish broadcaster, Rene had a tremendous impact on the success of the Colt .45s/Astros in Houston’s large Hispanic community and beyond. We send our heartfelt condolences to Rene’s family and loved ones."

Born in Managua, Nicaragua, in 1930, Cárdenas came from a family deeply rooted in baseball. His grandfather, Adán Cárdenas, is credited with introducing the sport to Nicaragua in the late 19th century and later served as president of the country, while his uncle, Adolfo, played for the Nicaraguan national team.

After 14 seasons with the Astros, Cárdenas returned to Nicaragua in 1975, where he continued to call baseball games on both television and radio. Cárdenas later became the Rangers’ first Spanish-language radio broadcaster in 1981 before returning for a second stint with the Dodgers in ’82.

"We mourn the passing of René Cárdenas, who in 1958 with the Dodgers became the first full-time Spanish-language broadcaster in MLB history and would ultimately spend 21 years behind the mic for Los Angeles," the Dodgers said Sunday in a social media post. "We send our condolences to his loved ones."

Cárdenas returned to the Astros’ Spanish radio broadcast in 2007 and called several Astros games in Spanish on television for the first time in ’08. After retiring from the broadcast booth, Cárdenas wrote for both the Astros’ Spanish-language website and La Prensa, a Nicaraguan newspaper, and served as a mentor for current Astros play-by-play announcer Francisco Romero.

Cárdenas, a four-time finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award, was inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame in 2024. He was also inducted into the Nicaragua Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, the Broadcasters Wing of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in '02 and the Astros Media Wall of honor in 2013.