Antonio Alfonseca (; ; born April 16, 1972) is a Dominican former
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...
. He last pitched in Major League Baseball for the
Philadelphia Phillies in . Alfonseca also played for the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fran ...
(–, ), the
Chicago Cubs (–), the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
(), and the
Texas Rangers ().
He is known for
having an extra digit on each hand and foot.
Biography
Alfonseca was originally signed by the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
as a non-drafted free agent in July . On December 13, 1993, he was taken by the Florida Marlins from the Montreal Expos in the 1993
expansion draft
An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansio ...
. He made his debut during the 1997 season, and his rookie campaign saw him win a World Series ring with the Marlins. His best year was in with the Marlins, when he led the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
in
saves with 45, and won the
National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year.
At the end of the season, Alfonseca had surgery to repair a
herniated disc
Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...
. Subsequently, the Marlins asked Alfonseca to lose 15 pounds to help to relieve stress on his back. At a weigh-in during
spring training, Alfonseca had a confrontation with
Dale Torborg
Dale Christian Torborg (born October 24, 1971) is an American baseball trainer and professional wrestler. In wrestling, he is best known for portraying the Kiss themed character, The Demon. He is the son of former Major League Baseball manager Je ...
, the son of then manager
Jeff Torborg
Jeffrey Allen Torborg (born November 26, 1941) is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball. Torborg was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1963. On September 9, 1965, Torborg caught Sandy Koufax' ...
, and a former professional wrestler. While the Marlins denied any connection, shortly afterwards, on March 27, 2002, he was traded, along with
Matt Clement
Matthew Paul Clement (born August 12, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Clement played for the San Diego Padres (–), Florida Marlins (), Chicago Cubs (–) and Boston Red Sox (–). While on the Red Sox active roster, he ...
, to the Chicago Cubs for
Julián Tavárez
Julián Tavárez Carmen (born May 22, 1973) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played for 11 franchises over the course of a 17–season Major League Baseball (MLB) career from 1993 to 2009. Listed at and , he threw right-h ...
,
Ryan Jorgensen
Ryan Wayne Jorgensen (born May 4, 1979 in Jacksonville, Florida) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He attended Kingwood High School and Louisiana State University.
Jorgensen was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the Major ...
,
Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982), nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American former left-handed professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinn ...
, and minor league pitcher Jose Cueto.
On September 2, 2003, while with the Cubs, Alfonseca was thrown out of a game for bumping an umpire with his stomach. He was subsequently suspended for five games.
After the season, he filed for free agency, and signed back with the Marlins, but in July , he suffered a right elbow injury and missed the rest of the season. He was released by the Marlins, signed with the Rangers, but after another mid-season elbow injury was released by them. He pitched for the Phillies in 2007 and for the
Lancaster Barnstormers
The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a ...
and
Bridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...
of the
Atlantic League from 2009 to 2011.
Personal life
His nicknames are ''El Pulpo'' ("The Octopus"), ''The Dragonslayer'', and ''Six-Fingers''. He has six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, a condition known as
polydactyly
Polydactyly or polydactylism (), also known as hyperdactyly, is an anomaly in humans and animals resulting in supernumerary fingers and/or toes. Polydactyly is the opposite of oligodactyly (fewer fingers or toes).
Signs and symptoms
In human ...
. His grandfather also had this trait. Alfonseca regards it with pride, as a kind of family emblem.
Alfonseca and his wife Rocío have two sons: Antonio, Jr. and Mark Anthony, and two daughters, Jenitza and Asia.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders
References
External links
Antonio Alfonsecaat SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Antonio Alfonsecaat Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfonseca, Antonio
1972 births
Living people
Atlanta Braves players
Bravos de Margarita players
Bridgeport Bluefish players
Charlotte Knights players
Chicago Cubs players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Florida Marlins players
Frisco RoughRiders players
Gulf Coast Expos players
Iowa Cubs players
Jamestown Expos players
Jupiter Hammerheads players
Kane County Cougars players
Lancaster Barnstormers players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
Mexican League baseball pitchers
National League saves champions
Oklahoma RedHawks players
People from La Romana, Dominican Republic
Pericos de Puebla players
Philadelphia Phillies players
Portland Sea Dogs players
Texas Rangers players
Toros del Este players
People with polydactyly
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Azucareros del Este players
Estrellas Orientales players
Gigantes de Carolina players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico