José Eleazar Ascanio (born May 2, 1985) is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n 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 currently a free agent. He has played in

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), ...

for 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 ...

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 ...

and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. Ascanio Has Two Children Jordan Ascanio and Santiago Ascanio

Career

Atlanta Braves

Ascanio was signed as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

by Atlanta. He began his professional career with the

GCL Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

, where he went 4–1 with a 1.37

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. Compa ...

and 17

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s at age 18. The next year, with the

Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...

, he went 3–3, with a 3.84 ERA and 64 strikeouts, as well as a career-high 9 saves, in 34 games. In

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, he played in 5 games for the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...

, recording 3 wins, 1 loss, a 6.10 ERA, and a career-low 12 K, before being sidelined with a fractured back injury. On July 13,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, Ascanio was called up by the Braves after

Wilfredo Ledezma Wilfredo Jose Ledezma Acosta (born January 21, 1981) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Na ...

had trouble getting back to the U.S. after going home to Venezuela during the All-Star break. Ascanio made his debut the same day, pitching the ninth inning of a 9–1 win. Ascanio allowed one run on three hits in his first Major League appearance, striking out two in the process. He was sent down on July 31 and called up again on August 24. He earned his first Major League win on September 14 pitching the last two innings of a 13-inning game. He finished the season 1–1 with a 5.06 ERA.

Chicago Cubs

On December 4, 2007, Ascanio was traded to the

for reliever

Will Ohman William McDaniel Ohman (born August 13, 1977) is a German–born American former professional baseball pitcher. He attended Ponderosa High school in Parker, Colorado. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, L ...

and infielder

Omar Infante Omar Rafael Infante n-FAHN-tay(born December 26, 1981) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Miami M ...

. On May 10, 2009, Ascanio was called up by the Cubs from Triple-A

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

after possessing a 1.01 ERA in 26 innings pitched as a starter. He was expected to start in the back of the bullpen. He appeared in 14 games for the Cubs, with a 3.52 ERA.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 30, 2009, Ascanio was traded to the

with

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning se ...

and

Josh Harrison Joshua Isaiah Harrison (born July 8, 1987) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics and C ...

for

John Grabow John William Grabow, nicknamed "Grabes" (born November 4, 1978) is an American former professional baseball left-handed reliever. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs of the Major League Baseball (MLB). In his MLB career, he he ...

and

Tom Gorzelanny Thomas Stephen Gorzelanny (born July 12, 1982) is a former American professional baseball pitcher who is currently the pitching coach for the minor league Amarillo Sod Poodles. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, C ...

. He appeared in 2 games for the Pirates in 2009 and another 8 in 2011, with a 7.00 ERA. He spent all of 2010 and much of 2011 on the disabled list due to shoulder surgery performed on him late in the 2009 season. The Pirates designated him for assignment on June 7, 2011.

Los Angeles Dodgers

He was signed 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 (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

to a minor league contract on December 13, 2011. He also received an invitation to spring training. He failed his physical when he reported for spring training and had his contract voided by the Dodgers.

Mexican League

Ascanio was assigned to the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their hom ...

in 2013, and was later signed by the

Petroleros de Minatitlán The Petroleros de Minatitlán (English: Minatitlán Oilers) was a AAA-level baseball team playing in the Mexican League. Their homefield was the Parque 18 de marzo de 1938 in Minatitlán, Veracruz Minatitlán is a city in southeastern Mexican ...

. In 2014, he started the season with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The fran ...

and later was assigned to the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. Their home ballpark is Estadio de Béisbol Monclova, which has a capacity of 11,000 people. The Acere ...

where he finished the year. He signed with the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, l ...

for the 2015 season, and spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons out of the league. On January 8, 2018, it was announced that Ascanio would return to the Mexican League with the

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (''Owls of the Two Laredos''), formerly known as the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo (''Owls of Nuevo Laredo''), are a Minor League Baseball team based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and Laredo, Texas in the Mexican Leagu ...

. He was released on April 3, 2018.

Italian Baseball League

Ascanio pitched in twelve games for

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

of the

Italian Baseball League The Italian Baseball League (IBL; Italian: ') is a professional baseball league that is governed by FIBS (Italian Baseball & Softball Federation), which has its headquarters in Rome. The IBL is a wood bat league in which both composite and alumi ...

in 2017. He posted a 4.61 ERA and recorded two saves. After the 2019 season, he played for

Caribes de Anzoátegui The Caribes de Anzoátegui ( en, Anzoátegui Caribs) is a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League based in Puerto la Cruz, Anzoátegui. Franchise history In January 1987, a local businessmen group based in Puerto la Cruz, ...

of the

Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

(LVMP). He has also played for Venezuela in the

2020 Caribbean Series The 2020 Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was the 62nd edition of the international competition featuring the champions of the Colombian Professional Baseball League, Dominican Professional Baseball League, Mexican Pacific League, Panamanian P ...

. After the 2020 season, he played for Caribes of the LVMP. He has also played for Venezuela in the

2021 Caribbean Series The 2021 Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was the 63rd edition of the international competition featuring the champions of the Colombian Professional Baseball League, Dominican Professional Baseball League, Mexican Pacific League, Panamanian ...