Jorge Bolivar Sosa (born April 28, 1977) is a
Dominican former professional
baseball pitcher. He played in
Major League Baseball (MLB) for the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays,
Atlanta Braves,
St. Louis Cardinals,
New York Mets,
Washington Nationals, and
Florida Marlins. Sosa also played in
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the
Chunichi Dragons and
Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Professional career
Minor leagues
Signed by the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
as an amateur free agent in , Sosa spent his first five minor league seasons as an
outfielder, but was converted to a pitcher when it was discovered that his arm strength was superior to his batting abilities. He throws his
fastball as high as 99 MPH, but usually resides in the mid-90s. He also throws a
curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...
,
slider, and a
changeup.
Sosa spent time in the minor league organizations of the Rockies,
Seattle Mariners, and
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
before heading to the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a
Rule 5 draft pick. Sosa was traded from the Devil Rays to the
Atlanta Braves for
infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.
Standard arrangement of positions
In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
Nick Green just before the season.
Major League Baseball
2005
Sosa enjoyed a breakout season with the Braves in 2005. After starting the year in the
bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...
, he was moved to the rotation in June following a rash of injuries to Braves starting pitchers. Sosa was excited about having the opportunity to start, and responded by going 11-3 as a starter and giving the rotation a major shot in the arm for the season's stretch run. For the year, Sosa was 13-3 with an impressive 2.55
ERA. More impressive, however, was his 8-0 record on the road. This earned him a start in game three of the
National League Division Series in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
against the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
.
Sosa pitched well in his postseason debut, but was outdueled by Astros ace
Roy Oswalt in an eventual Houston win, finally handing Sosa a defeat away from
Turner Field in
Atlanta. Still, if not for his performance, it's likely that Atlanta's consecutive string of division championships (which reached 14 before the 2006 season, when the Braves' run finally ended) would have been snapped.
During his strong 2005 season, Sosa earned a reputation for his extraordinary ability to get out of jams he created for himself, as opposing batters hit just .194 with runners in scoring position, and .063 with the bases loaded.
2006
Sosa signed a one-year contract worth $2.2 million with the Braves, and entered the season back in the rotation. He had a poor start, going 2-9, and letting a high number of
home runs. His struggles, coupled with the Braves' unstable
bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...
, prompted manager
Bobby Cox to try Sosa in relief. Sosa was ineffective in that role and was designated for assignment on July 30, 2006. He was traded to the
St. Louis Cardinals for minor league pitcher Rich Scalamandre on July 31, 2006. Sosa compiled a 5.28 ERA in his short stint with the Cardinals and was not included on the postseason roster, missing the Cardinals' victory in the
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2006 season. The 102nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers and the National Leag ...
. He was not offered a contract, making him a free agent.
The pitcher hit his first career home run on April 6, 2006, off
Jeff Fassero
Jeffrey Joseph Fassero (born January 5, 1963) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
Professional career
Montreal Expos
Fassero was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 22nd round of the amateur draft, but he bounced around in the mino ...
of the
San Francisco Giants. The only other two
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
Sosa recorded that season were also home runs. Sosa also pitched for the
Dominican Republic in the 2006
World Baseball Classic.
2007
Sosa started the 2007 season with yet another one-year contract, this time for $1.25 million and as a member of the
New York Mets, and playing for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate in
New Orleans. One month into the season,
Orlando Hernández suffered an injury, and Sosa was called up to take his place in the starting rotation while he was recovering.
On May 5, 2007, he made his season debut for the Mets, in a road game against the
Arizona Diamondbacks. In a very solid performance, Sosa held the Diamondbacks scoreless for the first 6 innings of the game. After recording the first out in the 7th, he was pulled from the game when he allowed the next 2 men to reach bases. Both runners would eventually come around to score. However, the Mets bullpen allowed no further runs to be scored, securing a win for the Mets and for Sosa by the score of 6-2. Sosa's final stat line for his Mets debut was: 6
IP, 4 hits, 2
Runs, 2
ERs, 2
BBs, 3
Ks.
Sosa continued to pitch well in his games following his debut. In his first three starts with the Mets, he lasted more than 6 innings in every start and gave up no more than 2 runs in any of these appearances. As a result of his hot start, when the time came for Hernandez to come off the
disabled list
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL).
General guidelines
...
, the Mets chose to keep Sosa with the team and have him replace struggling rookie
Mike Pelfrey in the starting rotation on a permanent basis.
On June 8, after pitching eight shutout innings, Sosa became the first Mets pitcher in team history to win six of his first seven starts with the team.
On July 2, The Mets placed Sosa on the 15-day disabled list, after he suffered a
hamstring injury.
On July 17, Sosa returned from the DL to pitch well in a start against the
San Diego Padres, giving up only 2 runs in 6 innings pitched. He ended up a hard-luck loser in the game as the Mets offense failed to provide him much run support, and the bullpen failed to keep the game close at the end. The Mets lost this game by a score of 5-1. Sosa made two starts after this game, but his performances in them were awful.
After July 31, Sosa was used as a relief pitcher instead of a starter, and pitcher
Brian Lawrence replaced him in the starting rotation. Sosa performed well early on in this new role, posting a 1.69
ERA in the first 16 innings following his move to the
bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...
. However, Sosa stumbled as a reliever in the final month of the season. His ERA in September was 6.57 in the 12 innings.
2008
Sosa began the season as a member of the Mets bullpen. His late 2007 struggles as a reliever continued, as Sosa allowed 17 earned runs in 21.2 innings pitched. On May 13, a day after giving up 4 earned runs in one inning against the
Washington Nationals, Sosa was
designated for assignment by the New York Mets. On May 21, Sosa was released.
On May 28, Sosa signed a minor league contract with the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
, but was released in July. On July 25, he signed another minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners, and was assigned to the Triple-A
Tacoma Rainiers.
On August 22, Jorge was suspended 50 games by major league baseball for using an amphetamine that is used as a performance-enhancing drug.
2009
On December 18, 2008, Sosa signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. On September 8, 2009, the Nationals released Sosa.
2010
On January 15, 2010, Sosa signed a minor-league deal with the
Boston Red Sox. He was later released and signed with the
Florida Marlins. He was a member of the starting rotation for the AAA minor league affiliate of the Marlins, until he was promoted to the Marlins on July 21.
Nippon Professional Baseball
2012
Sosa signed a one–year contract with the
Chunichi Dragons on February 5, 2012. Sosa posted a 5-1 record with 4 saves and a 1.85 ERA during 2012.
2013
Sosa signed a contract with the
Yokohama DeNA BayStars on December 26, 2012. Sosa started as a set-up man but was soon moved to the closer role after
Shun Yamaguchi
is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Yokohama BayStars/Yokohama DeNA BayStars of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and for the Toronto Blue J ...
struggled. He posted a 3-4 record with 19 saves and a 1.79 ERA in 55 appearances.
[http://bis.npb.or.jp/players/93395135.html]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sosa, Jorge
1977 births
Living people
Atlanta Braves players
Chunichi Dragons players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases
Durham Bulls players
Everett AquaSox players
Florida Marlins players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
New Orleans Zephyrs players
New York Mets players
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Orlando Rays players
Round Rock Express players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Syracuse Chiefs players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Tampa Bay Devil Rays players
Washington Nationals players
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players
World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic
Yokohama DeNA BayStars players
2006 World Baseball Classic players