Hispanic Heritage Month has begun.

This celebratory period runs from Sep. 15 through Oct. 15 because that is the anniversary of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Perhaps no other aspect of Latin American culture has experienced a bigger impacting voice than the sports world. For decades, Latin Americans have made enormous strides in sports. Soccer is, by far, the most popular sport in the Latino community, but others are quickly gaining popularity every day.

Nearly every Latin American territory has had a major influence on the big four sports in the United States. Latin Post celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring 10 famous athletes who had a big impact on the sports world:

Juan Marichal

Arguably the greatest pitcher of all time, there's not much Marichal hasn't accomplished in his career. He pitched a no-hitter, made the Hall of Fame and pitched one of the greatest games in Major League Baseball history. Marichal is, to this day, the only Dominican-born player in the Hall of Fame. Incredibly, Marichal won the most games of any pitcher in the 1960s.

Lou Castro

Castro became the first-ever Latin American-born player in MLB when he joined the Philadelphia Athletics in 1902. Castro didn't play very long in the majors, but his presence was felt. Baseball is now the second-most popular sport in Latin America and MLB is thriving with players from Latino nations. The young Colombian opened the doors for many players today.

Dennis Martínez

What a career this man had.

Martinez was the first Nicaraguan-born player to enter MLB when he joined the Baltimore Orioles in 1976. He would also help that team win a World Series later in 1983. His finest moment came in 1991 with the Montreal Expos, when he pitched a perfect game. Martinez is not, but should be, in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mel Almada

The year was 1933, and baseball wasn't considered a very diverse sport, yet. Mel Almada became the first ever Mexican-born player when the Boston Red Sox signed him. Almada had a great career, batting .284 at the plate and recording over 700 hits in his impressive career. For his ground-breaking entrance into MLB and excellence on the field, Almada was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Roberto Clemente

Arguably the greatest player in baseball history; 3,000 career hits, an MVP Award and two World Series titles backs that up. The Puerto Rican hitter accomplished great things on the field, but his contributions were even better off it. He spent much of his time contributing to relief efforts in many Latin American nations. Unfortunately, in 1972, his body was never found after his plane crashed in an attempt to bring aid to Nicaragua.

Manu Ginobili

What more can you say about this guy? The 37-year-old Argentine shooting guard for the San Antonio Spurs just doesn't slow down. He has helped the Spurs win four NBA Championships in his Hall of Fame career. Ginoboli, a two-time NBA All-Star and former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, is without a doubt the greatest South American-born basketball player of all time.

Leandro Barbosa

The "Brazilian Blur" was drafted in 2003, and he has had a tremendous career. The Brazilian guard has shown he can play both point guard and shooting guard. Barbosa has also played for the Brazilian National team many times in the Olympics and FIBA championships. Brazil is now a basketball powerhouse. Barbosa has the most career assists for a Brazilian born player. Tiago Splitter is a player who is also from Brazil.

Nene Hilario

One of the most underrated basketball players of the 21st century. Nene is the all-time scorer among Brazilian-born players in the NBA with more than 8,000 career points. He also has the most career blocks and rebounds for any Brazilian of all time. Similar to Barbosa, Nene has played numerous times for the Brazilian National team.

Lou Molinet

Before there was the Philadelphia Eagles, there was the Frankfurt Yellow Jackets. Molinet joined the team in 1927, becoming the first-ever Latin American-born person to do so. The young Cuban was a very athletic player who could play multiple positions for the team. Today, American Football is gaining popularity in many Latin American nations.

Pele

Arguably the greatest soccer player of all time. He is widely recognized as the greatest to ever do so, having led Brazil to three World Cup titles. His 12 World Cups goals were the most in country history until Ronaldo broke that record. Pele holds numerous goal scoring records for the Brazil National team that still stand to this very day.

Other notables include Martin Gramatica, who was a great NFL field goal kicker from Argentina. Field goal kicking is becoming more and more popular as soccer has played a role in that.

Willi Plett, from Paraguay, has the record for most goals of any South American-born player in NHL history with 222.

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