Ismael Villegas Diaz (born August 12, 1976) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

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 ...

. Villegas was drafted by the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

in the fifth round of the

1995 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Background Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...

. In June 1996, the Cubs traded him to 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) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

for Tyler Houston. Villegas was called up to the Major Leagues in July 2000 after

Mike Remlinger Michael John Remlinger (born March 23, 1966) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Remlinger has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the San Francisco Giants (1991), New York Mets (1994–95), Cincinnati Reds (1995– ...

suffered an injury and

Don Wengert Donald Paul Wengert (born November 6, 1969) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1995 to 2001 for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, ...

was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

. He made his Major League debut on July 3, 2000 at

Turner Field Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the c ...

in relief of

Terry Mulholland Terence John Mulholland (born March 9, 1963) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. His Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned 20 seasons, and to . He threw left-handed and batted right-handed. Early life and education Mulhol ...

. He would face 15 batters and get eight outs, allowing four

earned runs In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

to score. He twice faced future

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Vlad Guerrero, first hitting him with a pitch and then getting him to ground out. A few days later he would be replaced on the roster by pitcher

Scott Kamieniecki Scott Andrew Kamieniecki (born April 19, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and Atlanta Braves between 1991 and 2000. Biography A native of M ...

and would not pitch in the Major Leagues again. Villegas signed with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

following the 2001 season but, after posting an 8.46

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

with the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

, he would finish the 2002 season as well as his career with the

Atlantic City Surf The Atlantic City Surf were a professional minor league baseball team based in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Surf was most recently a member of the Can-Am League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Surf played its home games ...

of the independent Atlantic League.

References

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1976 births Living people Atlanta Braves players Atlantic City Surf players Danville Braves players Durham Bulls players Greenville Braves players Gulf Coast Cubs players Macon Braves players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Mexican League baseball pitchers People from Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Piratas de Campeche players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Mexico Richmond Braves players Rockford Cubbies players Sacramento River Cats players Williamsport Cubs players {{PuertoRico-baseball-pitcher-stub