Ponce's Liga del Castillo'', Montaner García threw another no-hitter against San Juan's Capital Pope team. Montaner García was a right-hand pitcher. Montaner García and his team, the Ponce Baseball Club, played at the Campo Atlético Charles H. Terry located on Calle Lolita Tizol in Ponce. Among the players in his team were Vicente Laborde, Octavio Rodriguez, "Ciqui" Faberlle, Carlos Bonet, Angel Pou, Cayetano Pou, Cosme Beitia, "Pellin" Alicea, Leopoldo Martinez and Lorenzo Roque. Montaner García retired from baseball in 1923 when he hurt his right arm. Life outside the diamond Shopkeeper As professional leagues had not yet formed in Puerto Rico at the time Montaner played, he made his living outside the baseball field. Montaner García came from a family of shopkeepers. His father, Francisco Montaner Colón (b. 1872- d.?) owned a cigar and liquor shop in Ponce, located near the center of town at the corner of Arenas and Intendente Ramirez streets, in Barrio Sexto (Cantera). Music lover Montaner Garcia loved music and in the 1930s he recorded two 78 rpm records with Jose Piñeiro in New Jersey, United States. The recordings consisted of danzas by Manuel Gregorio Tavárez and Juan Morel Campos. "He loved music, playing the guitar and singing." Family life Montaner García married Sarah Bigay and had four children: Carmen Maria, Francisco (Paquito) (1925–2009), Victor Manuel, and Ausberto (Boty). Later years and death Montaner García spent his last few retirement years playing dominoes. He died in Ponce on April 5, 1945, after suffering from leucemia for some time. He was 50 years old at the time of his death. Montaner García was the first major figure in Ponce baseball. His death in 1945 prompted the city of Ponce to honor him by naming the local baseball stadium after him. The stadium broke ground two years after Montaner García's death and opened two years after that, in 1949. Legacy The baseball stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico, is named after him. There is a street near Ponce's Tricentennial Park named after him. The centerpiece glass enclosure at Ponce's Museo Francisco Pancho Coimbre is dedicated to him. There is a plaque to his memory at Ponce's Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens. See also Ponce, Puerto Rico List of Puerto Ricans Museo Francisco Pancho Coimbre Notes References Puerto Rican baseball players 1894 births 1945 deaths Sportspeople from Ponce, Puerto Rico Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in Puerto Rico