Héctor Manuel Mendoza Ripoll (born March 5, 1994) is a Cuban professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

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 ...

who is a free agent. He has played in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

Career

Yomiuri Giants

Mendoza played with the

Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; en, Isle of Youth) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Islan ...

of the Cuban National Series from 2011 to 2015. On July 17, 2014, Mendoza signed with the

. He played with the

organization from 2014 to 2016. In 5 games split between two seasons, Mendoza recorded a 7.71 ERA with 7 strikeouts. Mendoza was released by the Giants on December 2, 2016.

St. Louis Cardinals

On June 7, 2017, Mendoza signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals worth $500,000. After signing, Mendoza made his professional debut with the

DSL Cardinals The Dominican Summer League Cardinals or DSL Cardinals are a rookie league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals based in the Dominican Republic. The team plays in the Boca Chica South division of the Dominican Summer League. History The team fi ...

. After compiling a 2.57 ERA in seven innings, he was promoted to the

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

where he finished the season with a 0–6 record and 5.54 ERA in 19 relief appearances. He began 2018 with the Springfield Cardinals and was promoted to the

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 May. He finished the year with a 4–4 record and 5.10 ERA in 49 appearances between the two teams. Mendoza recorded a 2.00 ERA in 6 games with Springfield before he was released by the Cardinals on June 4, 2019.

Cuban National Baseball Team

Mendoza won with his national team, the gold medal of the

2014 Central American and Caribbean Games The 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games were held November 14–30, 2014 in Veracruz, Mexico.Sport page

in Veracruz, Mexico. Mendoza won the title of best right-handed relief pitcher and gold medal in the
2015 Caribbean Series The 2015 Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was the 57th edition of the international competition featuring the champions of the Cuban National Series, Dominican Professional Baseball League, Mexican Pacific League, Puerto Rican Professional Baseb ...
.

References

External links
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NPB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Hector 1993 births Living people Baseball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Defecting Cuban baseball players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Summer League Cardinals players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Isla de la Juventud players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Palm Beach Cardinals players Pan American Games bronze medalists for Cuba Pan American Games medalists in baseball People from Isla de la Juventud Yomiuri Giants players 2015 WBSC Premier12 players Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games