Luis Edu
Oliver Perez plans to retire from professional baseball after playing the 2022 season of the Mexican Baseball League with the Toros de Tijuana, the team announced through its social networks.
The left-handed pitcher remained active in MLB for 19 years, his last campaign being 2021 when he wore the Cleveland Indians uniform. He was one of the best pitchers in his country, after what was achieved by the legendary Fernando Valenzuela with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Recall that Perez made his major league debut in 2002 with the San Diego Padres, when he was still a 20-year-old. In his first year he managed to attract the attention of the baseball world, recording a 3.50 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, after 15 appearances as a starter.
The best campaign of the Aztec pitcher in MLB came in 2004 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team with which he managed to add 30 starts, with an ERA of 2.98 and the impressive rate of 11 strikeouts per 9 episodes.
In the last 10 years of his career in U.S. baseball, Perez became a solvent reliever capable of being a key piece in the bullpen of any team, although he never received the responsibility of being a closer and barely accumulated 5 saved games.
Oliver Perez MLB numbers
The 40-year-old pitcher born in Culiacán managed to build a respected career, although he was never considered a star of the mound, as is the case right now with Julio Urías in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After playing with 8 Major League Baseball teams (San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Bells, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals and Cleveland Indians) over 19 seasons, the Mexican left-hander records a record of 73 wins and 93 losses, with an ERA of 4.34 and a WHIP of 1.42. In addition, he adds the impressive number of 696 appearances, 195 as a starting pitcher.
