Edilberto Oropesa (born November 23, 1971), is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (2001), Arizona Diamondbacks (2002–2003), and San Diego Padres (2004).[1] On April 8, 2004, he was credited with the win, in the first-ever big league game played at Petco Park, as the Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants, 4 to 3.[2]
| Eddie Oropesa | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: November 23, 1971 Matanzas, Cuba | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 2, 2001, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 20, 2004, for the San Diego Padres | |
| CPBL statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 0–2 |
| Earned run average | 6.28 |
| Strikeouts | 6 |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 8–4 |
| Earned run average | 7.34 |
| Strikeouts | 78 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Oropesa defected from the Cuban national team at the World University Games in Buffalo, New York in 1993, becoming the second active Cuban player (after René Arocha) to openly defect to the United States.[3] In 2012, he was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers to work with their newly signed Cuban player, Yasiel Puig.
Personal life
editHe has two children with his wife Rita.[4]
Salary
editOropesa is estimated to have earned $1.15 million total in 3 of the 4 major league seasons he appeared in (2001, 2002, and 2004).[1]
Pitching Style
editEddie Oropesa threw three pitches, a fastball, slider and changeup. Oropesa's pitching delivery was unique. Against right-handed hitters, he went from the full windup. He would hide the ball by turning his back to the hitter utilizing a high leg kick and release the ball from a high three-quarters arm angle. Against lefties, he would work exclusively from the stretch, even with no runners on base. Against lefties, he would turn his back slightly however his leg kick was not nearly as exaggerated and he would use a sidearm release point. This delivery made it really tough for lefties to hit him, as they only hit .242 against him in his entire career. However, these inconsistent mechanics often led to control problems.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "Eddie Oropesa Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- ^ "San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres Box Score, April 8, 2004 (Padres 4, Giants 3)". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. April 8, 2004. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ "Commie Ball: A Journey to the End of a Revolution". No. July 2008. Vanity Fair.
- ^ "Eddie Oropesa Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
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