Ismael Valdez
| Ismael Valdez | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: August 21, 1973 Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| June 15, 1994 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 2005 for the Florida Marlins | |
| Career statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 104–105 |
| Earned run average | 4.09 |
| Strikeouts | 1,173 |
| Teams | |
Ismael Valdez Alvarez (born August 21, 1973 in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher.
Contents |
[edit] Early baseball career
Valdes' professional baseball career began at age 17 when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league organization. After a three year climb through the Dodgers farm system, Valdez made his major league debut at the age of 20. In 1995, his first full major league season, Valdez had a record of 13–11 with 150 strikeouts and a 3.05 ERA.
During his early career he was trained and made into a pro by Salomon Robbins in Victoria, Tamaulipas.
Valdez also played in the Mexican League (triple A) with the Mexico City Tigers in 1992 and 1993, where he won 16 games and lost 7, with 115 strikeouts. He won the Championship in 1992, with the Tigers.
[edit] Suspension
On August 27, 2000, Valdes was pitching for the Dodgers and was ejected from a game after he was accused of retaliating and throwing pitches at the head of Cubs first baseman (and Valdes' former teammate) Mark Grace. The incident began in the top of the fifth inning when Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood yielded the second of two home runs to the Dodgers' Bruce Aven. Wood then threw a pitch close to the next batter, Alex Cora, on the first pitch after Aven's second home run. Wood denied that he was trying to hit Cora, but in the bottom of the fifth, Valdes came close to hitting Grace on the first pitch, drawing a warning from home plate umpire Mark Wegner. Then, four pitches later, Valdes hit Grace on the shoulder, and was ejected.[1] In September 2000, Frank Robinson, major league baseball's head of on-field discipline, suspended Valdes for six games and fined him $1,000 for the incident.[2] Valdes initially appealed, but several days later dropped his appeal and began serving his suspension.[3]
[edit] Steroid allegations
Valdez was one of 80 current and former Major League Baseball players implicated with steroid use in the Mitchell Report. He is believed to have purchased growth hormone on the Internet.
[edit] Personal
Prior to the 2004 season, Valdez used the spelling Valdes for his surname.
[edit] References
- ^ Jauss, Bill (August 28, 2000). "Silver lining; Cubs lose in 10, but Wood gives hope with 11 Ks". Chicago Tribune: p. 1.
- ^ http://lubbockonline.com/stories/090900/pro_090900047.shtml
- ^ http://articles.latimes.com/2000/sep/13/sports/sp-20207
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cliff Floyd 1993 |
Youngest Player in the National League 1994 |
Succeeded by Karim Garcia 1995 |
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This biographical article relating to a Mexican baseball pitcher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1973 births
- Living people
- Major League Baseball players from Mexico
- Anaheim Angels players
- Chicago Cubs players
- Florida Marlins players
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- San Diego Padres players
- Seattle Mariners players
- Texas Rangers players
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- People from Ciudad Victoria
- San Antonio Missions players
- Albuquerque Dukes players
- Vero Beach Dodgers players
- Daytona Cubs players
- Frisco RoughRiders players
- Jupiter Hammerheads players
- Albuquerque Isotopes players
- Mexican expatriates in the United States
- Mexican baseball biography stubs
- Baseball pitcher stubs
