Joaquín Andújar
Encyclopedia
Joaquín Andújar is a former Major League Baseball
right-handed starting pitcher
who became one of the most dominant pitcher
s in baseball while playing with the St. Louis Cardinals
in the mid-80s.
in a month shy of his seventeenth birthday. He posted a 33-41 record with a 4.33 earned run average
over six seasons in the Reds' farm system. Following the season, he was dealt to the Houston Astros
for two players to be named later.
appearances against the Reds, he was moved into the starting rotation. On July 11 & 17, Andújar pitched consecutive 1-0 shutout
s against the Montreal Expos
and New York Mets
. For the season, he went 9-10 with a 3.60 ERA.
Andújar was 10-5 with a 3.47 ERA at the All-Star break
to be named the Astros' sole representative at the All-Star game
. However, he injured himself in his final start before the game and could not play. He did not return to his team until September, and finished the season 11-8 with a 3.69 ERA.
Andújar began seeing more work out of the bullpen
in and earned his first career save on August 25 against the Pittsburgh Pirates
. He began the season in the bullpen, and was 4-2 with a 3.23 ERA with three saves and two blown saves when he was added back to the starting rotation. He responded with four consecutive complete game
victories in which he gave up just one earned run
per game. He was named to his second National League
All-Star team
, and pitched two innings while giving up two runs
(one earned). On August 14, he pitched a four hit complete game against the Montreal Expos
while hitting an inside the park home run to account for both of the Astros' runs.
He went 3-8 in splitting time between starts and relief appearances. The Astros won a one game play-off against the Los Angeles Dodgers
to send Andújar to his first post-season. He recorded a save in game two of the 1980 National League Championship Series
against the Philadelphia Phillies
. After starting the season 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA, he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals for Tony Scott
just before the players' strike.
s. He won his last seven decisions, and had a 1.64 ERA down the stretch to finish the season at 15-10. He pitched a three hit shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium
on September 15 that put his team a game and a half up on the Phils in the National League East
, a lead they held for the remainder of the season.
The Cards swept the Atlanta Braves
in the 1982 National League Championship Series
, with Andújar starting and winning game three. He started games three and seven of the 1982 World Series
against the Milwaukee Brewers
, winning both with a 1.35 ERA. His own error
contributed to an unearned run in game three.
Andújar had a career year in . He was 13-6 with a 2.90 ERA at the All-Star break to earn his third All-Star selection
, but was unable to attend. He ended the season at 20-14 with a 3.34 ERA, leading the league in wins, innings pitched (261.1) and shutouts (4) while winning the Gold Glove Award
at his position.
Andújar got off to a 12-1 start in , and made his fourth All-Star team
. The Cardinals
and New York Mets' became embroiled in a heated battle for the NL East crown came down to the wire in 1985. Andújar went 3-1 with a 4.29 ERA against the Mets. Perhaps the most memorable game Andújar pitched in the rivalry that developed between the two clubs was a 5-2 loss on October 2 against Dwight Gooden
that allowed the Mets to pull within a game of the Cardinals.
The Cardinals won the following day, and ended up taking the division by three games over the Mets. Andújar ended the season at 21-12 with a 3.40 ERA. In the 1985 National League Championship Series
, Andújar was ineffective in his game two start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, putting the Cards in a two game hole. The Cards, however, came back to win the following four games (with Andújar starting the decisive game six, but not figuring in the decision) to head to the World Series
.
went poorly for Andújar. He lasted four plus innings in game three, and took the loss opposite a dominant Bret Saberhagen
. John Tudor, meanwhile, was 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA that post-season, leading Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog
to go with Tudor in the decisive game seven despite the fact that Andújar was on five days rest.
The strategy failed, as Tudor was pulled in the third with the bases loaded and three runs already on the board. The score was 10-0 by the time Herzog brought Andújar in for mop up duty. When umpire Don Denkinger
called a ball, Andújar emphatically showed his disagreement, and had to be restrained by teammates. Herzog exploded and was ejected. A pitch later, Andújar was ejected by Denkinger, who misread a gesture by Andújar to catcher
Darrell Porter
and again had to be held back by his teammates.
Some believe that Herzog purposely sent the volatile Andújar to the mound as payback for Denkinger's infamous call in Game six. Before getting ejected by Denkinger in Game seven, Herzog said to him, "We wouldn't even be here if you hadn't missed the fucking call last night!" However, Herzog has often stated Andújar was his only pitcher that still had any life left in his arm. Andújar was so furious that after being ejected from Game seven, he took a baseball bat and demolished a toilet
in the visitor's clubhouse bathroom in Kansas City
's Royals Stadium
.
's meetings, the Cardinals dealt Andújar to the Oakland Athletics
for Tim Conroy
and Mike Heath
. He was to begin the season serving a ten-game suspension (later reduced to five) for the World Series altercation with Denkinger. On top of that, on February 28, 1986, Baseball Commissioner
Peter Ueberroth
handed down suspensions to seven players who admitted during the Pittsburgh drug trials
that they had abused cocaine
for the entire 1986 season without pay, Andújar included. The suspensions were reduced to anti-drug donations and community service
.
As luck would have it, Denkinger was the home plate
umpire for Andújar's first start of 1986. It was uneventful, though Andújar lasted just four plus innings while giving up six earned runs. Despite his start to the season, Andújar had a decent year in 1986, going 12-7 with a 3.82 ERA. He suffered numerous injuries along the way, including an injury sustained during batting practice even though pitchers do not bat in the American League
.
Injuries limited Andújar to just thirteen starts in . The last being on August 3, in which he last just two-thirds of an inning and gave up three runs.
in , but he failed to make the team.
while batting .127 with five home run
s and 38 runs batted in himself.
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...
right-handed starting pitcher
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....
who became one of the most dominant 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...
s in baseball while playing with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the mid-80s.
Early years
Andújar signed with the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati 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 a month shy of his seventeenth birthday. He posted a 33-41 record with a 4.33 earned run average
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...
over six seasons in the Reds' farm system. Following the season, he was dealt to the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
for two players to be named later.
Houston Astros
Andújar made his major league debut in the season opener against his former franchise. After two reliefRelief 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 against the Reds, he was moved into the starting rotation. On July 11 & 17, Andújar pitched consecutive 1-0 shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
s against the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. For the season, he went 9-10 with a 3.60 ERA.
Andújar was 10-5 with a 3.47 ERA at the All-Star break
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
to be named the Astros' sole representative at the All-Star game
1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 48th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 19, 1977, at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York, New York the...
. However, he injured himself in his final start before the game and could not play. He did not return to his team until September, and finished the season 11-8 with a 3.69 ERA.
Andújar began seeing more work out of the bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
in and earned his first career save on August 25 against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. He began the season in the bullpen, and was 4-2 with a 3.23 ERA with three saves and two blown saves when he was added back to the starting rotation. He responded with four consecutive complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
victories in which he gave up just one earned run
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
per game. He was named to his second National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
All-Star team
1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 50th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 17, 1979, at The Kingdome in Seattle, Washington the home of the...
, and pitched two innings while giving up two 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...
(one earned). On August 14, he pitched a four hit complete game against the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
while hitting an inside the park home run to account for both of the Astros' runs.
He went 3-8 in splitting time between starts and relief appearances. The Astros won a one game play-off against 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...
to send Andújar to his first post-season. He recorded a save in game two of the 1980 National League Championship Series
1980 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 7, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGame 1 was the most ordinary contest of the series. Starters Ken Forsch and Steve Carlton dueled for the first five innings, with only one run scored by Houston in the third on an RBI single by Gary Woods...
against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. After starting the season 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA, he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals for Tony Scott
Tony Scott (baseball)
Anthony Scott is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Montreal Expos:Scott was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 71st round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft. After five seasons in their farm system, he received a September call-up to the Expos in...
just before the players' strike.
St. Louis Cardinals
Andújar returned to a starting role with the Cards, and responded by going 6-1 for the rest of the 1981 season. He was a horse for the Cardinals in , as he pitched a career high 265.2 inningInning
Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....
s. He won his last seven decisions, and had a 1.64 ERA down the stretch to finish the season at 15-10. He pitched a three hit shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
on September 15 that put his team a game and a half up on the Phils in the National League East
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
, a lead they held for the remainder of the season.
The Cards swept the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in the 1982 National League Championship Series
1982 National League Championship Series
The National League Championship Series was played between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves from October 6 to October 10.-Background:...
, with Andújar starting and winning game three. He started games three and seven of the 1982 World Series
1982 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 12, 1982 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe Brewers' left-hander Mike Caldwell pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits. The Brewers' offense was led by Paul Molitor, who had a World Series-record five hits and two RBIs...
against the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, winning both with a 1.35 ERA. His own error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
contributed to an unearned run in game three.
Andújar had a career year in . He was 13-6 with a 2.90 ERA at the All-Star break to earn his third All-Star selection
1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 55th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 10, 1984 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California, home of the...
, but was unable to attend. He ended the season at 20-14 with a 3.34 ERA, leading the league in wins, innings pitched (261.1) and shutouts (4) while winning the Gold Glove Award
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
at his position.
Andújar got off to a 12-1 start in , and made his fourth All-Star team
1985 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1985 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 56th playing of the game, annually played between the All-Stars of the National League and the All-Stars of the American League. The game was played on July 16, 1985, in the Hubert H...
. The Cardinals
1985 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals' 1985 season was the team's 104th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 94th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 101-61 during the season and finished in first place in the National League East division by three games over the New York Mets...
and New York Mets' became embroiled in a heated battle for the NL East crown came down to the wire in 1985. Andújar went 3-1 with a 4.29 ERA against the Mets. Perhaps the most memorable game Andújar pitched in the rivalry that developed between the two clubs was a 5-2 loss on October 2 against Dwight Gooden
Dwight Gooden
Dwight Eugene Gooden , nicknamed "Doc Gooden" or "Dr. K", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared pitchers in the National League in the middle and late 1980s.-Career:...
that allowed the Mets to pull within a game of the Cardinals.
The Cardinals won the following day, and ended up taking the division by three games over the Mets. Andújar ended the season at 21-12 with a 3.40 ERA. In the 1985 National League Championship Series
1985 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 9, 1985 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe opening contest in Los Angeles pitted Dodgers screwballer Fernando Valenzuela against the Cardinals' twenty-game winner, John Tudor. The pitchers matched zeroes through the first three innings, but in the bottom of...
, Andújar was ineffective in his game two start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, putting the Cards in a two game hole. The Cards, however, came back to win the following four games (with Andújar starting the decisive game six, but not figuring in the decision) to head to the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
.
1985 World Series
The World Series against the Kansas City Royals1985 Kansas City Royals season
The 1985 Kansas City Royals season ended with the Royals' first world championship win over their intrastate rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Royals won the Western Division of the American League for the second consecutive season and the sixth time in ten years...
went poorly for Andújar. He lasted four plus innings in game three, and took the loss opposite a dominant Bret Saberhagen
Bret Saberhagen
Bret William Saberhagen is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher.-Early years:Bret Saberhagen attended Grover Cleveland High School, located in Reseda, California. Saberhagen starred in both basketball and baseball...
. John Tudor, meanwhile, was 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA that post-season, leading Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog
Whitey Herzog
Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including...
to go with Tudor in the decisive game seven despite the fact that Andújar was on five days rest.
The strategy failed, as Tudor was pulled in the third with the bases loaded and three runs already on the board. The score was 10-0 by the time Herzog brought Andújar in for mop up duty. When umpire Don Denkinger
Don Denkinger
Donald Anton Denkinger is a former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1969 to 1998. Denkinger wore uniform number 11, when the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980. He is best remembered for an incorrect call he made at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World...
called a ball, Andújar emphatically showed his disagreement, and had to be restrained by teammates. Herzog exploded and was ejected. A pitch later, Andújar was ejected by Denkinger, who misread a gesture by Andújar to catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Darrell Porter
Darrell Porter
Darrell Ray Porter was a former American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. He was known for his excellent defensive skills and power hitting...
and again had to be held back by his teammates.
Some believe that Herzog purposely sent the volatile Andújar to the mound as payback for Denkinger's infamous call in Game six. Before getting ejected by Denkinger in Game seven, Herzog said to him, "We wouldn't even be here if you hadn't missed the fucking call last night!" However, Herzog has often stated Andújar was his only pitcher that still had any life left in his arm. Andújar was so furious that after being ejected from Game seven, he took a baseball bat and demolished a toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
in the visitor's clubhouse bathroom in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
's Royals Stadium
Kauffman Stadium
Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the Kansas City Royals of the American League. Together with Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, it is a part of the Truman Sports Complex...
.
Oakland A's
During that WinterWinter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
's meetings, the Cardinals dealt Andújar to the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
for Tim Conroy
Tim Conroy
Timothy James Conroy was a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals ....
and Mike Heath
Mike Heath
Michael Thomas Heath is a former catcher in Major League Baseball. Heath played fourteen seasons in the major leagues with the New York Yankees , Oakland Athletics , St...
. He was to begin the season serving a ten-game suspension (later reduced to five) for the World Series altercation with Denkinger. On top of that, on February 28, 1986, Baseball Commissioner
Baseball Commissioner
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts...
Peter Ueberroth
Peter Ueberroth
Peter Victor Ueberroth is an American executive. He served as the sixth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1989. He was recently the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee; he was replaced by Larry Probst in October 2008....
handed down suspensions to seven players who admitted during the Pittsburgh drug trials
Pittsburgh drug trials
The Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 were the catalyst for a baseball-related cocaine scandal which resulted in the harshest Major League Baseball penalties since the Black Sox scandal of 1919...
that they had abused cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
for the entire 1986 season without pay, Andújar included. The suspensions were reduced to anti-drug donations and community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
.
As luck would have it, Denkinger was the home plate
Home Plate
Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
umpire for Andújar's first start of 1986. It was uneventful, though Andújar lasted just four plus innings while giving up six earned runs. Despite his start to the season, Andújar had a decent year in 1986, going 12-7 with a 3.82 ERA. He suffered numerous injuries along the way, including an injury sustained during batting practice even though pitchers do not bat in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
.
Injuries limited Andújar to just thirteen starts in . The last being on August 3, in which he last just two-thirds of an inning and gave up three runs.
Final season
Andújar returned to the Astros to be part of their bullpen for , however, made some starts in the middle of the season due to injuries in the starting rotation. He ended the season at 2-5 with a 4.00 ERA. He tried to make a comeback and negotiated a non-guaranteed $1 million contract with the Montreal Expos1989 Montreal Expos season
-Offseason:* December 8, 1988: Tracy Jones was traded by the Expos to the San Francisco Giants for Mike Aldrete.* December 8, 1988: John Dopson and Luis Rivera were traded by the Expos to the Boston Red Sox for Spike Owen and Dan Gakeler.-Regular season:...
in , but he failed to make the team.
Career stats
For his career, Andújar held batters to a .224 batting averageBatting 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 :...
while batting .127 with five 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...
s and 38 runs batted in himself.
Personal life
Andújar started a trucking business in his home country of the Dominican Republic. He has been active in youth baseball programs in his home country and has been generous in hurricane relief.- Players from Dominican Republic in MLB
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins