Balvino Galvez
Encyclopedia
Balvino Galvez Jerez is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
who pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers
, and the Yomiuri Giants
in Nippon Professional Baseball.
in , and made his major league debut in with the Dodgers. He played in 10 major league games that year, but was demoted to the minors again the following year. He traveled between various minor league teams before signing with the Brother Elephants
in the Chinese Professional Baseball League
in 1994. In the two full seasons with the Elephants, he had a 26-16 record with an ERA
of 2.53 and 203 strikeouts in the 370 innings pitched. He traveled to Japan
in , and was signed during spring training
by the Yomiuri Giants
. He was not regarded as a crucial player at the beginning of the season, but ended up with 16 wins
, tying teammate Masaki Saito for the most wins in the Central League
. The Giants won the Central League pennant that year.
Galvez displayed a distinct pitching form in Japan, often releasing the ball while sticking out his tongue. He had a blistering mid-90 mph fastball
, and had surprisingly good control. However, he grew restless whenever there were runners on base, and had trouble pitching from the set position. He frequently showed dissatisfaction towards the umpire's calls; a trait which would lead him into clashes with opposing teams and umpires.
On July 31, , the Giants played against the Hanshin Tigers
at Koshien Stadium
, and Galvez faced Tomochika Tsuboi
in the bottom of the 6th inning. Galvez's pitch was closely called a ball by the umpire, Atsushi Kittaka, and Galvez lost his cool, giving up a home run
to Tsuboi on his next pitch. Giants manager
Shigeo Nagashima
emerged from the dugout to signal a change of pitchers, but Galvez refused to leave the mound, shouting insults at umpire Kittaka. Galvez allowed his teammates to drag him back to the dugout, but quickly turned back around to throw the baseball at umpire Kittaka (the ball narrowly missed him). The game erupted into a huge mess afterwards, and Galvez was given a suspension for the remainder of the season. The next game between the Tigers and Giants also erupted into a brawl, and both teams were warned for throwing dangerous pitches on the August 2 game.
The Giants could have released Galvez for causing such an incident, but they chose to re-sign him for because the team's main starters
, (Masaki Saito, Hiromi Makihara
and Masumi Kuwata
) were showing heavy signs of aging. Galvez actually ended up being the team's opening day starter, becoming the first non-Japanese player to pitch opening-day for the Giants. He pitched decently throughout the season, but was given very little run-support, resulting in a 9-12 record in 1999. He still figured as a crucial part of the Giants starting rotation, and was kept for the following season.
Galvez had to compete for his spot on the team during spring training, as the Giants had signed three other non-Japanese pitchers during the offseason (there was a limit of two non-Japanese players on the roster). He earned his slot in the starting rotation, but lost all 6 of the games he started in , despite giving up 3 runs
or less each start. This made 10 consecutive losses, counting his four losses at the end of the previous year. He was demoted to the minor leagues after his sixth loss, and left the team at the end of the year.
He was signed by the Samsung Lions
(Korean Baseball Organization
) in , and marked a win in his first start. However, it was discovered that he had traveled to Korea
without a working visa, and he was sued by the opposing team (Hanwha Eagles).
Though the incident against the Tigers tarnished his reputation, Galvez still compiled a 37-25 record in his five seasons in Japan; a fabulous record considering that very few foreign starters succeed in Japan. No other foreign pitcher has marked over 10 wins for the Giants since Galvez did so in 1997, making him undoubtedly the best foreign pitcher to play for the Giants in the modern era. He also got 39 hits
during his career in Japan; 10 of the 39 hits were home runs.
He also led the way for more players to travel to Japan from Taiwanese baseball, (the Giants scouted Galvez after seeing him pitch in the Chinese Professional Baseball League
) as many players including Alex Cabrera
, Brian Warren, and Carlos Mirabal were signed by Japanese teams after scouts saw Galvez's success.
Balvino Galvez had the #5 spot in the Pirates' rotation pretty much locked down in 2001, when he made an error toward the end of spring training. He got into a shouting match with the pitching coach, Spin Williams,threw down his glove, stormed out of the stadium, and was on a plane back to the Dominican Republic within hours, never to appear again in organized baseball, other than the Japanese Baseball League. Very hot headed individual.
-- April 1, 2001:One of the wackiest: Pirates reliever Balvino Galvez, who turned 37 yesterday and hadn't been in the majors since 1986, muffed a throw in a rundown drill, picked up the ball, threw it into the stands, stormed into the clubhouse, packed his things and bolted, without talking with the team or media. The release papers were drawn up immediately.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, and the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Professional career
Galvez was signed by the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in , and made his major league debut in with the Dodgers. He played in 10 major league games that year, but was demoted to the minors again the following year. He traveled between various minor league teams before signing with the Brother Elephants
Brother Elephants
The Brother Elephants are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. It was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1989...
in the Chinese Professional Baseball League
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League , or CPBL, is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2003...
in 1994. In the two full seasons with the Elephants, he had a 26-16 record with an ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
of 2.53 and 203 strikeouts in the 370 innings pitched. He traveled to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in , and was signed during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
by the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
. He was not regarded as a crucial player at the beginning of the season, but ended up with 16 wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
, tying teammate Masaki Saito for the most wins in the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
. The Giants won the Central League pennant that year.
Galvez displayed a distinct pitching form in Japan, often releasing the ball while sticking out his tongue. He had a blistering mid-90 mph fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
, and had surprisingly good control. However, he grew restless whenever there were runners on base, and had trouble pitching from the set position. He frequently showed dissatisfaction towards the umpire's calls; a trait which would lead him into clashes with opposing teams and umpires.
On July 31, , the Giants played against the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
at Koshien Stadium
Koshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
, and Galvez faced Tomochika Tsuboi
Tomochika Tsuboi
Tomochika Tsuboi is a Japanese baseball outfielder for the Orix Buffaloes. He played for Hanshin Tigers from 1998 to 2002, but he was traded for Toshihiro Noguchi after the 2002 season.-Career statistics :...
in the bottom of the 6th inning. Galvez's pitch was closely called a ball by the umpire, Atsushi Kittaka, and Galvez lost his cool, giving up a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
to Tsuboi on his next pitch. Giants manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Shigeo Nagashima
Shigeo Nagashima
is a Japanese former professional baseball player and manager.Nagashima was by far the most popular figure in Japanese baseball during his career. His contributions to the development of the sport in Japan are immeasurable.-Biography:...
emerged from the dugout to signal a change of pitchers, but Galvez refused to leave the mound, shouting insults at umpire Kittaka. Galvez allowed his teammates to drag him back to the dugout, but quickly turned back around to throw the baseball at umpire Kittaka (the ball narrowly missed him). The game erupted into a huge mess afterwards, and Galvez was given a suspension for the remainder of the season. The next game between the Tigers and Giants also erupted into a brawl, and both teams were warned for throwing dangerous pitches on the August 2 game.
The Giants could have released Galvez for causing such an incident, but they chose to re-sign him for because the team's main starters
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
, (Masaki Saito, Hiromi Makihara
Hiromi Makihara
Hiromi Makihara is a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. He was a six-time Central League All-Star, won Rookie of the Year honors, and pitched a perfect game in a 19-year career with the Yomiuri Giants. He is also the last man in Japanese baseball to throw a perfect game, a feat he...
and Masumi Kuwata
Masumi Kuwata
Masumi Kuwata is a former Japanese right-handed pitcher. He was formerly with the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League. He pitched 21 seasons with the Giants, beginning in 1986. In December 2006 Masumi signed a minor league deal with the Pirates...
) were showing heavy signs of aging. Galvez actually ended up being the team's opening day starter, becoming the first non-Japanese player to pitch opening-day for the Giants. He pitched decently throughout the season, but was given very little run-support, resulting in a 9-12 record in 1999. He still figured as a crucial part of the Giants starting rotation, and was kept for the following season.
Galvez had to compete for his spot on the team during spring training, as the Giants had signed three other non-Japanese pitchers during the offseason (there was a limit of two non-Japanese players on the roster). He earned his slot in the starting rotation, but lost all 6 of the games he started in , despite giving up 3 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
or less each start. This made 10 consecutive losses, counting his four losses at the end of the previous year. He was demoted to the minor leagues after his sixth loss, and left the team at the end of the year.
He was signed by the Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in Daegu and are members of the Korean Baseball Organization. Their home stadium is Daegu Baseball Stadium...
(Korean Baseball Organization
Korean Baseball Organization
Korea Professional Baseball is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The Korean romanization is Hanguk Peuro Yagu , a league title which mirrors Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. Korea Professional Baseball was originally founded with six teams in 1982 and currently has eight...
) in , and marked a win in his first start. However, it was discovered that he had traveled to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
without a working visa, and he was sued by the opposing team (Hanwha Eagles).
Though the incident against the Tigers tarnished his reputation, Galvez still compiled a 37-25 record in his five seasons in Japan; a fabulous record considering that very few foreign starters succeed in Japan. No other foreign pitcher has marked over 10 wins for the Giants since Galvez did so in 1997, making him undoubtedly the best foreign pitcher to play for the Giants in the modern era. He also got 39 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
during his career in Japan; 10 of the 39 hits were home runs.
He also led the way for more players to travel to Japan from Taiwanese baseball, (the Giants scouted Galvez after seeing him pitch in the Chinese Professional Baseball League
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League , or CPBL, is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2003...
) as many players including Alex Cabrera
Alex Cabrera
Alex Cabrera is a Venezuelan first baseman and right-handed batter who played in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball...
, Brian Warren, and Carlos Mirabal were signed by Japanese teams after scouts saw Galvez's success.
Balvino Galvez had the #5 spot in the Pirates' rotation pretty much locked down in 2001, when he made an error toward the end of spring training. He got into a shouting match with the pitching coach, Spin Williams,threw down his glove, stormed out of the stadium, and was on a plane back to the Dominican Republic within hours, never to appear again in organized baseball, other than the Japanese Baseball League. Very hot headed individual.
-- April 1, 2001:One of the wackiest: Pirates reliever Balvino Galvez, who turned 37 yesterday and hadn't been in the majors since 1986, muffed a throw in a rundown drill, picked up the ball, threw it into the stands, stormed into the clubhouse, packed his things and bolted, without talking with the team or media. The release papers were drawn up immediately.