Héctor Carrasco
Encyclopedia
Héctor Pacheco Pipo Carrasco (born October 22, 1969 in San Pedro de Macoris
, Dominican Republic
) is a former Major League Baseball
relief pitcher
. He bats and throws right handed.
In a twelve-season career, Carrasco has posted a 44-50 record with 19 saves and a 3.99 ERA
in 637 relief
appearances and ten starts
.
Carrasco began his major league career with the Cincinnati Reds
in , and has also pitched for the Kansas City Royals
, Minnesota Twins
, Boston Red Sox
, Baltimore Orioles
, Washington Nationals
, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
. On April 15, , while pitching for the Twins, Hector gave up Cal Ripken's 3000th hit in a game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
. His most productive season came in for the Nationals, when he was 5-4 with a 2.04 ERA in 64 appearances, allowing only 59 hits
in 88 1-3 innings
and limiting opponents to a .193 batting average
. He was 4-3 with a 2.04 ERA in 62.2 innings as a reliever, and 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 27 2.3 innings while starting five games near the season's end.
In , Carrasco pitched for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
of Japan
's Pacific League
, going 8-8 with five saves and a 5.57 ERA in 53 relief appearances. He began the 2005 season at the then Washington Nationals
' Triple-A affiliate, New Orleans Zephyrs
, where he was 1-0 with four saves in eight games without allowing an earned run, before being called up and having a terrific year for the Nats. He made 64 appearances (10th in the league), primarily as the set up man for closer
Chad Cordero
, pitching 88-1/3 innings, with an ERA of just 2.04, although he also started five games. His WHIP (BB + H per IP) was 1.098, which would have been good enough for fifth in the league had he had the requisite number of innings pitched.
Following the 2005 season, Carrasco filed for free agency, and was signed by the Angels to a $6.1 million, two-year contract. In , Carrasco was 7-3 with a 3.41 ERA in 56 appearances, three as a starter. But in , after 29 appearances where he posted an ERA of 6.57, and allowing 8 HR's in 38-1/3 innings, he was released. The following week, Carrasco returned to the Nationals organization by signing a minor league contract. On January 24, , Carrasco signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training
with the Pirates. He was released on March 26, 2008. In early May, he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
In 2009 Carrasco played in the Atlantic League
for the Newark Bears
, the Long Island Ducks
, and the Bridgeport Bluefish
.
In 1995 Carrasco ate at a restaurant in Covington Kentucky and walked out without paying his 31 dollar bill, leaving the server, Mo Egger, to pay the bill. Egger is now a radio star in Cincinnati.
San Pedro de Macorís
San Pedro de Macorís is a municipality and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the Dominican Republic.-Demographics:...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
) is a former Major League Baseball
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...
relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
. He bats and throws right handed.
In a twelve-season career, Carrasco has posted a 44-50 record with 19 saves and a 3.99 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...
in 637 relief
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
appearances and ten starts
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....
.
Carrasco began his major league career with the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in , and has also pitched for the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
, Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
. On April 15, , while pitching for the Twins, Hector gave up Cal Ripken's 3000th hit in a game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
. His most productive season came in for the Nationals, when he was 5-4 with a 2.04 ERA in 64 appearances, allowing only 59 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....
in 88 1-3 innings
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
and limiting opponents to a .193 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
. He was 4-3 with a 2.04 ERA in 62.2 innings as a reliever, and 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 27 2.3 innings while starting five games near the season's end.
In , Carrasco pitched for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
Kintetsu Buffaloes
The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...
of 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...
's Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
, going 8-8 with five saves and a 5.57 ERA in 53 relief appearances. He began the 2005 season at the then Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
' Triple-A affiliate, New Orleans Zephyrs
New Orleans Zephyrs
The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field....
, where he was 1-0 with four saves in eight games without allowing an earned run, before being called up and having a terrific year for the Nats. He made 64 appearances (10th in the league), primarily as the set up man for closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
Chad Cordero
Chad Cordero
Chad Patrick Cordero is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He broke into the big league ranks with the Montreal Expos...
, pitching 88-1/3 innings, with an ERA of just 2.04, although he also started five games. His WHIP (BB + H per IP) was 1.098, which would have been good enough for fifth in the league had he had the requisite number of innings pitched.
Following the 2005 season, Carrasco filed for free agency, and was signed by the Angels to a $6.1 million, two-year contract. In , Carrasco was 7-3 with a 3.41 ERA in 56 appearances, three as a starter. But in , after 29 appearances where he posted an ERA of 6.57, and allowing 8 HR's in 38-1/3 innings, he was released. The following week, Carrasco returned to the Nationals organization by signing a minor league contract. On January 24, , Carrasco signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to 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...
with the Pirates. He was released on March 26, 2008. In early May, he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
In 2009 Carrasco played in the Atlantic League
Atlantic League
Atlantic League may refer to one of the following professional sports leagues:* Atlantic League , a professional baseball league active from 1896 to 1900* Atlantic League , a professional baseball league active in 1914...
for the Newark Bears
Newark Bears
The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...
, the Long Island Ducks
Long Island Ducks
The Long Island Ducks is an American professional baseball team based in Central Islip, New York. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
, and the Bridgeport Bluefish
Bridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish is an American professional baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
.
In 1995 Carrasco ate at a restaurant in Covington Kentucky and walked out without paying his 31 dollar bill, leaving the server, Mo Egger, to pay the bill. Egger is now a radio star in Cincinnati.