John Candelaria
| John Candelaria | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: November 6, 1953 Brooklyn, New York |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| June 8, 1975 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 7, 1993 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Career statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 177–122 |
| Earned run average | 3.33 |
| Strikeouts | 1,673 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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John Robert Candelaria (born November 6, 1953) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. Nicknamed "The Candy Man," he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers between 1975–1993.
Contents |
Career[edit]
Prior to joining the Pirates, "Candy" played center for the Quebradillas Pirates in Puerto Rico. Known as a basketball player in Puerto Rico, when he announced he was leaving the Quebradillas basketball "Pirates" for the Pittsburgh Pirates many were skeptical. The local newspaper featured him pitching a basketball in the front page of the sports section. He had attended La Salle Academy in lower Manhattan and gained fame as a basketball center, including leading his team to a championship in 1971.
Candelaria pitched to a 177–122 career record with a 3.33 ERA. His best season was 1977 when he was 20–5 with a 2.34 ERA in 230.2 innings pitched, and he was a member of the 1979 World Series champion Pirates team. He pitched a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 9, 1976. This was the first no hitter pitched by a Pirate in Pittsburgh.[1][2]
Candelaria stood 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and wielded a mid- to upper-90's fastball with spectacular natural movement. One veteran Dodger scout who witnessed 15-year-old Candelaria at a tryout called him the best he had ever seen. The tryout catcher had to be replaced with a major league catcher for fear of injuring the stand-in. By the account of this same scout, Candelaria was in line to sign with the Dodgers before he appeared at a later tryout wearing a shirt that featured a marijuana leaf with the caption "try some, you'll like it." The Dodger executives at the tryout were so appalled by this lighthearted display that they declined to sign him.
Candelaria played for both New York teams (Mets and Yankees), both Los Angeles teams (Dodgers and Angels) and both Canadian teams (Blue Jays and Expos).
Life after baseball[edit]
Candelaria currently lives in Davidson, North Carolina, and is an avid world traveler.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Biography
| Preceded by Blue Moon Odom & Francisco Barrios |
No-hitter pitcher August 9, 1976 |
Succeeded by John Montefusco |
| Preceded by John Denny |
National League ERA Champion 1977 |
Succeeded by Craig Swan |
| Preceded by Gorman Thomas |
AL Comeback Player of the Year 1986 |
Succeeded by Bret Saberhagen |
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- 1953 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Brooklyn
- Baseball players from New York
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- California Angels players
- New York Mets players
- New York Yankees players
- Montreal Expos players
- Minnesota Twins players
- Toronto Blue Jays players
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- National League All-Stars
- National League ERA champions
- Charleston Pirates players
- Salem Pirates players
- Charleston Charlies players
- Palm Springs Angels players
- Gulf Coast Yankees players
