Juan Marichal play to debut in Columbus, Ohio

Playwright and actor Roger Guenveur Smith will debut his one man play about the Marichal-Roseboro incident in 1965.  In the event, Juan Marichal attacked John Roseboro with a bat and hit him in the head.  Roseboro eventually recovered and came to forgive Marichal for the unspeakable act.  The two even went on to become friends.

Guenveur Smith weaves the baseball story with other events, such as the Watts race riots and the United States invasion of the Dominican Republic that were happening at the time.  The play tells a personal story of the two men, but also gives a historical and cultural historical lesson of the 1960s.  See the play at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio.

Marichal is the only Dominican player in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, though there should be a few to follow soon.  He is a ten time all-star selection and had his #27 retired by the Giants.  He is from Laguna Verde, DR.

The Juan Marichal statue outside Giants stadium, by Eric Molina on Flickr