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Christopher Ralph Perez (born July 1, 1985) is an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
former
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. He pitched collegiately for the
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
, and was selected by the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in the first round (42nd overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. Perez also played for the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
and
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
.


Career


St. Louis Cardinals

Perez began his professional career in 2006 with the
Swing of the Quad Cities Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing ri ...
, the
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
affiliate of the Cardinals. He was 1–1 with a team-leading eleven saves and a 3.20
ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...
in 26 games for the Triple-A
Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...
in 2008. He fanned 38 batters in his 25 innings pitched, walked 12 and allowed 18 hits. He was added to the Cardinals 25-man active roster from Triple-A Memphis on May 16, 2008. He made his debut that same day, working one scoreless inning in relief against the
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
. He picked up his first career save on August 6 against the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
. He attended the Cardinals' 2009
spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
camp to compete for a relief pitcher spot, but had arm trouble and was returned to the
minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...
for more experience. In 70 total games with the Cardinals, he was 4-4 with a 3.72 ERA and 8 saves.


Cleveland Indians

Perez and
Jess Todd Jesse Ray Todd (born April 20, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Todd is tall and weighs . The St. Louis Cardinals selected Todd in the second round (82nd overall) of the 2007 MLB Draft out of the University of Arkansas ...
were traded to the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
on June 27, 2009, for
Mark DeRosa Mark Thomas DeRosa (born February 26, 1975) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2013. He played for the Atlanta Braves (1998–2004), Texas Rangers (2005–2006), Chicago Cubs ...
. Following the trade of
Kerry Wood Kerry Lee Wood (born June 16, 1977) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. Wood first came to prominence as a 20-year-old rook ...
to the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
on July 31, 2010, Perez became the Indians' permanent closer. After a breakout 2011 season that included playing in the
All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...
and being fourth in the league in saves, on February 23, 2012, Perez strained his left oblique in spring training and was expected to miss 4–6 weeks. However, Perez himself set a goal for March 15. He was throwing a 10-minute bullpen session, when, after 25–30 pitches, he felt a pain in his left side. He returned for Opening Day despite the injury, but blew the save by loading the bases and allowing multiple runs. Perez's ongoing and vocal criticism of Indians fans has made him a controversial figure. In May and June 2012, Perez publicly criticized Indians fans in response to the team beginning the season last in attendance across both leagues and for being booed in a game on May 17. Perez was booed in the 10th inning for allowing two runners, although the opposition failed to score in the inning and the Indians won the game. On July 1, Perez was named to his second consecutive
All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...
as a member of the American League squad, joining Indians teammate
Asdrúbal Cabrera Asdrúbal José Cabrera (; born November 13, 1985) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Ra ...
. At the time of his selection, Perez had converted 23 of 24 save opportunities; his save count total tied for best in the Majors. Perez throws just two pitches: a
four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...
at 93–96 mph and a
slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...
at 82–86. On August 13, 2012, Perez earned his 100th save in a 6–2 victory over the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
. He entered the ninth inning with runners on first and second but recorded three strikeouts to record the save. On January 18, 2013, the Cleveland Indians announced they had avoided arbitration with Perez, signing him to a one-year contract worth $7.3 million. On August 5, 2013, Perez blew a save to the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
, and after the game decided to boycott the media for the rest of the season, which led to a rocky relationship between him and the fans. On September 29, 2013, he broke his silence and talked with the media. The Cleveland Indians released Perez on October 31, 2013.


Los Angeles Dodgers

He signed a one-year contract with the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
on December 24, 2013. The contract included a base salary of $2.3 million with incentives worth as much as $8 million. Perez appeared in 49 games for the Dodgers and was 1–3 with a 4.27 ERA. He was owed a $500,000 bonus if he appeared in 50 games, but the Dodgers did not use him at all the last week of the season to avoid paying the bonus.


Milwaukee Brewers

Perez signed a one-year minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on February 4, 2015, which included an invitation to spring training. He was released on March 29. He was re-signed to another minor league contract two days later, and exercised an opt-out on April 27. On June 24, it was announced that Perez was suspended for 50 games for violating the drug policy by testing positive for a drug of abuse.


Baltimore Orioles

On July 2, 2015, Perez signed a minor league deal with the Orioles, despite still being suspended. He retired on August 22.


Personal

Perez grew up on
Anna Maria Island Anna Maria Island, is a barrier island on the coast of Manatee County, Florida, in the United States. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, on the south by Longboat Pass (which separates it from Longboat Key), on the east by Anna Ma ...
with his father, Tim Perez, who is of Spanish descent. He resides in
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, with his wife, Melanie. His entrance music is "Firestarter" by
The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional l ...
. He is nicknamed "Pure Rage" and uses it as his Twitter handle. He deleted his
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account at the beginning of the 2013 to "minimize any potential off-the-field distractions." Perez and his wife were arrested on June 4, 2013, in
Rocky River, Ohio Rocky River is a city in western Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. A suburb of Cleveland, it is located along the shore of Lake Erie approximately west of downtown Cleveland. The city is named for the Rocky River that forms its eastern bor ...
, on marijuana possession charges.


References


External links


Perez player profile at Scout.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Chris 1985 births Living people Baseball players from Florida Major League Baseball pitchers St. Louis Cardinals players Cleveland Indians players Los Angeles Dodgers players Miami Hurricanes baseball players Swing of the Quad Cities players Memphis Redbirds players Springfield Cardinals players Lake County Captains players Akron Aeros players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players American League All-Stars Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Team USA players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players American people of Spanish descent IMG Academy alumni