More than 50 years after his big league debut, the influence of Cepeda and other Latin American pioneers is obvious throughout the baseball world.

"It was difficult, being in a new country and learning the culture," said Cepeda, a native of Ponce, Puerto Rico -- and one of nine players of Latin American heritage who have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. "We had to overcome many obstacles."

Today Cepeda's 72nd birthday -- those barriers are long gone. Almost 25 percent of all players on 2009 Major League Baseball Opening Day rosters are Latin American. Over the next decade, there could be a half dozen or so Latin Americans elected to Cooperstown, including 2010 first-year candidate Roberto Alomar (Puerto Rico), Ivan Rodriguez (Puerto Rico), Pedro Martinez (Dominican Republic), Omar Vizquel (Venezuela) and Vladimir Guerrero (Dominican Republic).

They all owe a debt of gratitude Cepeda, who -- along with Roberto Clemente, Luis Aparicio and others -- helped pave the way for all Latin American players.