A couple of days ago, we reviewed the hitting stats among players who were born in Venezuela. This time, let’s take a look at which players from Venezuela have done a great job on the mound.
Again, I decided to check on the great baseball reference website.
Firstly, let’s look at which Venezuelan pitchers who pitched the most games. Francisco Rodriguez was one of the best closers in the majors. In his career, he made 948 relief appearances. From 2002 to 2017, he tossed 976 innings with a 2.86 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Francisco Rodriguez collected 437 saves in his career. Rafael Betancourt made 680 relief appearances from 2003 to 2015, posting a 3.36 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP over 685.2 innings. Additionally, Ugueth Urbina and Yusmeiro Petit each appeared in 500+ games in the majors.
Secondly, let’s look at which pitchers threw the most innings. Felix Hernandez made 418 starts and one relief appearance from 2005 to 2019. King Felix tossed 2729.2 innings, posting a 3.42 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Furthermore, Freddy Garcia made 357 starts and 19 relief appearances in his career. From 1999 to 2013, he threw 2264 innings with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Moreover, Johan Santana and Anibal Sanchez each threw 2000+ innings in their careers. Santana owned a 3.20 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over 2025.2 innings in 12 seasons. Anibal Sanchez posted a 4.06 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP over 2017.2 innings in 16 seasons.
In addition, let’s look at leaders in wins. Felix Hernandez earned 169 wins (all with the Mariners) in his career. In particular, he got 19 wins in 2009. Moreover, Freddy Garcia had 156 wins in his career. He used to play for the Mariners for 6 seasons and he got 76 wins as a Mariner. Furthermore, Johan Santana earned 139 wins in 12 seasons. Santana earned 20 wins in 2004 and in 2006, he got 19 wins. Carlos Zambrano played 12 seasons in the majors and he earned 130+ wins as well.
Finally, let’s look at leaders in strikeouts. Felix Hernandez threw 2524 strikeouts in his career. There were 6 times that he struck out 200+ batters in a single season. Johan Santana threw 1988 strikeouts in 12 seasons. There were 5 times that he struck out 200+ batters in a single season. In particular, he threw 265 strikeouts in 2004. Anibal Sanchez threw 1774 strikeouts in his career and 3 other pitchers who were born in Venezuela each threw 1600+ strikeouts in their careers.
Looking at the stats among pitchers who were born in Venezuela, without a doubt, Felix Hernandez and Johan Santana are on the leaderboard in several categories. Additionally, there are both Cy Young award winners. Johan Santana won the AL Cy Young award in 2004 and 2006. Felix Hernandez won the AL Cy Young award in 2010. Meanwhile, Francisco Rodriguez collected 437 saves, which is now the 6th most in MLB history. We can keep watching if there will be another pitcher from Venezuela to reach one of these top pitchers’ career milestones, which won’t be easy.
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