He became the first Spanish-language announcer to cover Major League Baseball (MLB), when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958.
While working for the Astros, Cárdenas developed the first international radio network, which broadcast games to Central and South America.
Cárdenas also called a championship boxing match held between Sugar Ray Robinson and Gene Fullmer.
He created the first international radio network for baseball in 1966 in order to help the Astros recruit talent in South and Central America.
[4] After that, he entered semi-retirement, as he continued to write for La Prensa and the Spanish-language website of the Astros.
In 1979, the couple fled Nicaragua and lost their home and valuables to the Sandinista National Liberation Front.
Cárdenas' half-brother, Chester Escobar, had worked with the Somoza family, and was executed by the Sandinista government.