Joakim Agustín Soria Ramos (born May 18, 1984) is a Mexican former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

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 dr ...

. He 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 (A ...

(MLB) for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

, Texas Rangers,

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

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 ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, 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 ...

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 t ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

, and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

from 2007 to 2021. Soria began his professional career in the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

, before briefly playing in minor league baseball for 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) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

organizations. The Royals selected Soria from the Padres in the Rule 5 draft after the 2006 season, and he debuted with the Royals in 2007. Soria is a two-time

MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

Career

Early career

Soria has played for his country's

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 the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five t ...

) and

Yaquis de Obregón The Yaquis de Obregón ( en, Obregón Yaquis) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. The “Yaquis” are the only team in league history to have won three consecutive league championships ...

in the Winter League. He played for the Class-A

Fort Wayne Wizards A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

as well. On December 9, 2006, in the Mexican Winter League, Soria threw a perfect game against the

Naranjeros de Hermosillo The Naranjeros de Hermosillo ( en, Hermosillo Orange Growers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Hermosillo, Sonora. The Naranjeros are one of the most successful teams in the league with 16 titles and they we ...

Kansas City Royals

In 2006, Soria was drafted at the age of 22 by the

in the Rule 5 draft out of the

organization in 2006.Kaegel, Dick
Soria heading to All-Star Game
''MLB.com'', July 6, 2008. He debuted for the Royals in the 2007 season, and had a

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

of 2–3 with 17 saves and an

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 numb ...

(ERA) of 2.48. Soria opened the 2008 season with 13 straight saves, breaking Al Hrabosky's club record of 11. He was scored on in just two of 35 outings. He went 16 innings before giving up a run and in one stretch retired 24 straight batters. On May 17, 2008, Soria signed a three-year, $8.75 million extension to his contract with the Royals, following his impressive performance as the team's closer in the first quarter of the season.Associated Press
ESPN – Royals pitcher Soria agrees to 3-year, $8.75M extension
''ESPN.com'', May 17, 2008. Soria's fantastic start led to him being selected to play in the

2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 79th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played at Yankee Stadi ...

. Soria was the Royals' lone representative in the All-Star Game. He was the first Royals closing pitcher to be named an All-Star since Mike MacDougal in

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

. He pitched innings, striking out the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

Dan Uggla Daniel Cooley Uggla (born March 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, and Washington Nationals. In 2010, Uggl ...

and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

David Wright David Allen Wright (born December 20, 1982) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the New York Mets. He was drafted by the Mets in 2001 MLB draft and made h ...

Soria had injuries but he finished the 2009 year strong with a 3–2 record with 30 saves out of 33 chances. On May 26, 2010, Soria got his 100th save against the Texas Rangers. Soria was picked for the 2010 All-Star Game, the second of his career. He finished the season with a 1.78 ERA and 43 saves in 46 opportunities. Soria struggled out of the gate in the 2011 season, blowing five of his first twelve save opportunities. After blowing saves on back to back days, Soria was replaced as closer by

Aaron Crow Aaron James Crow (born November 10, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals. Early life Crow was born on November 10, 1986, in Topeka, Kansas to parents ...

on May 30. After a couple of good relief appearances in a non-closer role, Yost announced on June 6 that Soria had earned the position back. On April 3, 2012, Soria underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...

to repair a damaged

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

in his right elbow, causing him to miss the entire 2012 season. The Royals declined his 2013 option on October 31, making him a free agent.

Texas Rangers

On December 4, 2012, Soria signed a two-year contract worth $8 million with the Texas Rangers with a club option for the 2015 season. He started the season on the 60-day disabled list as he was still recovering from

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pa ...

. He made his first appearance for Texas on July 7, 2013. After former closer

Joe Nathan Joseph Michael Nathan (born November 22, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cu ...

signed with the

in the offseason, Soria was named the new Rangers closer for the 2014 season.

Detroit Tigers

On July 23, 2014, the Texas Rangers traded Soria to the

in exchange for pitchers

Jake Thompson Jacob Keith Thompson (born January 31, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and for the Lotte Gian ...

and Corey Knebel. Soria recorded his 200th career save on July 22, 2015.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 30, 2015, the Tigers traded Soria to the

in exchange for JaCoby Jones.

Second stint with the Royals

On December 10, 2015, Soria signed a three-year, $25 million contract to return to the Royals.

Chicago White Sox

On January 4, 2018, Soria was traded to the

in a three team trade that also sent Jake Peter and

Scott Alexander Scott Alain Alexander (born July 10, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for Pepperdine University and Sonoma State University. The Kansas City ...

to the

Luis Avilán Luis Armando Avilán (born July 19, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, ...

to the White Sox and Trevor Oaks and

Erick Mejia Erick Augusto Mejia (born November 9, 1994) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder and outfielder in the Washington Nationals organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals. Career Seattle Marin ...

to the Royals.

Milwaukee Brewers

On July 26, 2018, Soria was traded to the

in exchange for Kodi Medeiros and Wilber Pérez. Soria declined his half of a mutual option for the 2019 season and became a free agent, on October 30, 2018.

Oakland Athletics

On December 21, 2018, Soria signed a two-year contract with the

. On June 25, 2019, Soria pitched in his 674th major league game, passing

Dennys Reyes Dennys Reyes (; born April 19, 1977) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. In more than a decade-long career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for 11 different teams, often as a left-handed specialist. Nicknamed "The Big Swe ...

for the most by a Mexican-born pitcher. In 2019 for the Athletics, Soria pitched to a 4.30 ERA over 69 innings pitched in 71 appearances, to go along with 79 strikeouts. In 2020 for Oakland, Soria made 22 appearances, pitching innings with a 2.82 ERA and 24 strikeouts.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 6, 2021, Soria officially signed with the

on a one-year, $3.5 million contract.

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 30, 2021, Soria was traded to the

in exchange for minor leaguers J.J. D'Orazio and Yaifer Perdomo. After the 2021 season, Soria announced his retirement.

Pitch selection

Soria throws five pitches. He relies primarily on his

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

and

cut fastball In baseball, a cut fastball or cutter is a type of fastball that breaks toward the pitcher's glove-hand side, as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a four-seam fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slide ...

. Both pitches average about , with the fastball topping out near and the cutter topping out around . He mixes in a slider in the low 80s, a slow

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 curv ...

around , and an occasional

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

in the low- to mid-80s.

Personal life

Soria and his wife, Karla, have three children. Soria is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

. Soria is a supporter of the charity Water Mission. Soria has been nicknamed ''The Mexicutioner'', although in February 2011, he stated that he no longer wanted to be associated with that nickname due to violence in his home country.

References

External links

The official site of Joakim Soria
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Soria, Joakim 1984 births Living people American League All-Stars Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Rangers players Baseball players from Coahuila Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Mexico Chicago White Sox players Competitors at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Detroit Tigers players Diablos Rojos del México players Fort Wayne Wizards players Frisco RoughRiders players Gulf Coast Dodgers players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Mexico Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Mexican League baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Oakland Athletics players Pittsburgh Pirates players Round Rock Express players Texas Rangers players Toronto Blue Jays players Yaquis de Obregón players 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2017 World Baseball Classic players Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball Sportspeople from Monclova