Jesús Colomé de la Cruz (born December 23, 1977) is a
Dominican former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...
. He played for the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays,
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
,
Milwaukee Brewers and
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB).
Professional career
Oakland Athletics
Jesús Colomé was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
at age 18, in 1996. He had made it to
Double-A as a starting pitcher when, on July 28, 2000, he was traded to the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays for
Todd Belitz and
Jim Mecir.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Devil Rays converted him to a
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...
, and he made his major league debut with them on June 21, 2001. He finished with a 3.33
ERA. Colomé was one of the only pitchers to throw over 100 mph, but he had bad control. The next season, he posted an 8.27 ERA (the highest of his career). He returned to his old form in 2004, in 2003 he struck out a career high 69 batters.
On August 26, 2005, Colomé was involved in a serious car accident in the Dominican Republic. Two months later, he was released by the Devil Rays.
New York Yankees
Colomé signed a minor league contract with 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) Am ...
in 2006. At the end of the season, spent entirely in the minors, he opted for free agency.
Washington Nationals
Colomé then signed with the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
. He came north with the Nationals following the spring season and started off pitching well. By Memorial Day he was 4–0, and was fifth in the league with 26 appearances, posting a 2.20 ERA and prompting MLB writer Bill Ladson to write, "Jesús Colomé is the Nationals' best reliever, and one could argue that he should be considered for the All-Star Game." Ladson credited Colome's resurgence in his reliance on pitches other than his once dominating fastball.
On December 10, 2008, he was released by the Nationals. He was re-signed by the Nationals to a minor league contract on January 15, 2009. He competed for a spot on the Nationals' roster in
spring training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
, but was sent to the minor leagues on April 4, 2009.
Milwaukee Brewers
In July 2009, the Nationals designated him for assignment and he was picked up by the
Milwaukee Brewers and signed to a minor league contract. On September 6, he was released by the Brewers.
Seattle Mariners
On February 10, 2010, Colome signed a minor league contract with the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
. Colomé and
Kanekoa Texeira were designated for assignment on May 31, 2010, to make room for
Sean White and
Garrett Olson.
Los Angeles Dodgers
He was signed to a minor league contract by 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
on June 23, 2010, and assigned to the AAA
Albuquerque Isotopes. He only appeared in 3 games for the Isotopes before he was released.
Texas Rangers
On August 15, 2010, he, along with
Willy Taveras, signed a minor league deal with the
Texas Rangers, and was assigned to Triple-A
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
.
Colorado Rockies
Colomé signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in 2011. He only appeared in 10 games for their AAA affiliate team.
Sultanes de Monterrey
He played for the
Sultanes de Monterrey in the
Mexican League in 2012.
Joplin Blasters
Colome signed with the
Joplin Blasters of the
American Association of Independent Professional Baseball and played for them during the 2015 season.
Personal life
His nephew is
Álex Colomé.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colome, Jesus
1977 births
Living people
Albuquerque Isotopes players
Arizona League Athletics players
Baseball players from San Pedro de Macorís
Bridgeport Bluefish players
Cardenales de Lara players
Caribes de Anzoátegui players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Columbus Clippers players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Durham Bulls players
Estrellas Orientales players
Gigantes del Cibao players
Gulf Coast Nationals players
Joplin Blasters players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
Mexican League baseball pitchers
Midland RockHounds players
Milwaukee Brewers players
Modesto A's players
Montgomery Biscuits players
Nashville Sounds players
Oklahoma City RedHawks players
Orlando Rays players
Seattle Mariners players
Sultanes de Monterrey players
Syracuse Chiefs players
Tampa Bay Devil Rays players
Tigres del Licey players
Trenton Thunder players
Washington Nationals players
Yaquis de Obregón players