José Jiménez (born July 7, 1973) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). He appeared in seven seasons from 1998 to 2004 for the St. Louis Cardinals,

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 ...

, and Cleveland Indians. The Cardinals signed him as an amateur free agent in his native Dominican Republic in 1991. Jiménez' career in MLB commenced as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

with the Cardinals and he converted to relief pitching with the Rockies, saving more than 100 games. As a rookie with the Cardinals in 1999, Jiménez pitched a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

in the first of two consecutive starts defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks and future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in 1−0

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

shutouts. After converting to relief with the Rockies, he set club records for saves in a single season with 41 in 2002 and career with 102. Results were mixed in his last three seasons, as his earned run average in 2002 was 3.56 and he experienced consecutive season with 2−10 win–loss records and 1−7 in his final MLB season of 2004.

St.Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals signed Jiménez as an amateur free agent in 1991.

Major League debut (1998)

The Cardinals first called Jiménez up to the major league roster in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, and he made his major league debut on against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

on September 9, 1998. He completed three

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

, allowing no earned runs, one hit and one walk with two

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. Jiménez made four major league appearances with three starts in 1998, allowing seven earned runs in innings for a 2.95 earned run average (ERA).

Rookie season and no-hitter (1999)

Still considered a rookie in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, Jiménez became a regular in the Cardinals' starting rotation. He pitched a

against eventual Hall of Famer Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 25, 1999. The Cardinals were victorious by a score of 1–0. He is one of the 20 rookie pitchers to have pitched a no-hitter in Major League histor

For the week ending June 27, he earned National League Player of the Week honors. In Jiménez' second start after the no-hitter, he again faced Johnson and the Diamondbacks, winning a second consecutive

shutout decision by a 1−0 score while allowing two hits. The two starts against Johnson and the Diamondbacks were the only two shutouts of Jiménez' major league career. He finished the 1999 season with a 5−14 record and a 5.85 ERA in 29 appearances and 28 starts.

Colorado Rockies

Jiménez was acquired by the 2000 season and became a staple in the Rockies bullpen, transitioning from starter to closer. From 2000-2003 he collected 102 saves for the Rockies, becoming the all-time saves leader in the Rockies franchise. He set a franchise record 41 saves in 2002, while having an ERA of 3.56 despite having a record of 2-10. The following season he swung back into a starter, making 7 starts and 20 saves for the Rockies, but ballooned his ERA to 5.22 and again having a record of 2-10.

Cleveland Indians

At 30 years old, he pitched in 2004 for the Indians; he would wind up released after going 1-7 with an 8.42 ERA.

Post-Major League career

At the Pan-American Games, Jiménez tested positive for a banned substance and was subsequently removed from the competition.Former MLB pitcher Jimenez tested positive for anabolic steroids
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Personal life

His family includes son, Trey Jiménez of St. Louis, Missouri, known for his video game remixes, remasters and original compositions on YouTube a
Alpha Remaster

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimenez, Jose 1973 births Arkansas Travelers players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Johnson City Cardinals players Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Memphis Redbirds players Sportspeople from San Pedro de Macorís Peoria Chiefs players Prince William Cannons players St. Louis Cardinals players