- Pascual Pérez (baseball)
Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#af0039
bgcolor2=#0f437c
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Pascual Pérez
position=Pitcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1957|5|17
debutdate=May 7
debutyear=1980
debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
finaldate=October 2
finalyear=1991
finalteam=New York Yankees
stat1label=Record
stat1value=67-68
stat2label=ERA
stat2value=3.44
stat3label=Strikeout s
stat3value=822
teams =
*Pittsburgh Pirates (by|1980-by|1981)
*Atlanta Braves (by|1982-by|1985)
*Montreal Expos (by|1987-by|1989)
*New York Yankees (by|1990-by|1991)
highlights =
*All-Star (NL): 1983Pascual Gross Perez (nicknamed "I-285") (born
May 17 ,1957 in San Cristóbal,Dominican Republic ) was a right-handedbaseball pitcher for thePittsburgh Pirates ,Atlanta Braves ,Montreal Expos , andNew York Yankees . He was signed byNeftalí Cruz for the Pirates organization in1976 and reached the major league club in1980 . Traded to the Braves onJune 30 ,1982 , he enjoyed his two best seasons while with that organization, going 15-8 and 14-8 in1983 and1984 respectively. Incredibly slender at 6 ft 2 in, 162 lb., he was probably better known for his on-field and off-field antics than his pitching talent. He was arrested forcocaine possession in his nativeDominican Republic between the1983 and1984 seasons and did not rejoin the Braves until May of1984 . Also a showboater, he often drew the ire of many of his opponents. He would use an imaginary finger-gun to shoot opponents and would pound the baseball into the dirt on the mound. While it is customary for pitchers to walk back to the bench after completing an inning, he would sprint, with gold chains and Jheri-curls flapping in motion. He earned his nickname after missing a start onAugust 19 ,1982 while circlingAtlanta 'sInterstate 285 looking forAtlanta-Fulton County Stadium .Released by the Braves on
April 1 ,1986 , he missed the entire1986 season. After signing a minor league contract with the Expos in1987 , he joined the big club in August and finished the1987 season 7-0. His last winning season came the following year when he went 12-8 with the Expos.He was granted free-agency in November
1989 and subsequently signed with the Yankees. Through1990 and1991 , he started only 17 games for the Yankees and compiled records of 1-2 and 2-4 respectively. Prior to the1992 season, he was suspended by Major League Baseball for one year for violating the league's drug policy, a suspension that ultimately ended his career. His final career record was 67-68.Two of his brothers, Melido and Carlos, were also major league pitchers, as was a cousin, Yorkis.
One of Pascual's pitches was a slow, high-arcing changeup. Since he was the only one in the majors throwing this pitch at the time, many referred to it as the Pascual pitch, although it is historically referred to as an
Eephus pitch.Pascal first made his trademark peek through the legs to check the runner on first in 1979in the Dominican League. He put his head through his legs to look at Rafael Landestoy onfirst base.
ee also
*
Montreal Expos all-time roster External links
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/perezpa01.shtml Pascual Perez at baseball-reference.com]
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