Luis Enrique "Tite" Arroyo, (February 18, 1927 – January 13, 2016) was a

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), ...

pitcher from 1955 to 1963. Arroyo was the first Puerto Rican player to appear for 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) Amer ...

and was a key part of their pennant winning seasons in and .Staff Writer (January 17, 2016
"Star reliever during Yankees magical 1961 season"
''The Washington Post'', page C7.

Baseball career

Arroyo, from

Peñuelas, Puerto Rico Peñuelas (, ) is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the Peñuelas Valley on the southern coast of the island, south of Adjuntas, east of Guayanilla, west of Ponce and north of the Caribbean Sea. Peñuelas is spread over 12 barri ...

, made his

MLB 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), ...

debut on April 20, 1955. A stocky left-hander, he spent one season primarily as a starter with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

. Though he was a member of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

All-Star team that year, he was traded to the

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 ...

the next spring, where he was moved to the bullpen. Struggling to establish himself in the role, he went from the Pirates to the

Cincinnati Redlegs Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, then the

. Arroyo was the first to play for the Yankees, and despite his earlier struggles, he quickly became an important contributor to the club.

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

hitters had little success against Arroyo's

screwball A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action. The pitch is sometimes known ...

, and after a solid contribution at the back of their bullpen in 1960, he enjoyed the best season of his career in 1961. That year, Arroyo pitched 119 innings with a 2.19

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. Comp ...

, while winning 15 games as the team's relief ace. His totals of 65 games pitched and 29 saves both led the league, he surrendered only five

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in a season where league-wide offensive totals were very high by historical standards, and was named to his second All-Star team while finishing sixth in AL

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

voting.''Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero''; by David Maraniss; page 316; Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group; . Arroyo's glory was, however, short-lived. He injured his arm the following spring; while he pitched for two more seasons, he never regained his prior effectiveness. Arroyo retired after appearing in only six innings in the 1963 season. Over the course of his MLB career, he pitched 531 innings with a 3.93 ERA, collecting 40 wins, 32 losses, and 44 saves. Following his retirement as a player, Arroyo became a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

and pitching coach for the Yankees.

Legacy and death

In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter", consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Arroyo, a Puerto Rican, was the relief pitcher on Stein's Latin team. On July 16, 2010, Arroyo was hospitalized after suffering a "mild heart attack"; he fell ill at an event leading up to the Yankees' July 17

Old-Timers' Day Old-Timers' Day (or Old-Timers' Game) refers to a tradition in Major League Baseball where a team devotes the early afternoon preceding a weekend game to honor retired players who played for the organization during their careers. The retired play ...

celebration, an annual event where Arroyo was a popular figure. Arroyo died on January 13, 2016 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Yankees announced his death saying that Arroyo's daughter said he had been diagnosed with cancer in December 2015.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arroyo, Luis 1927 births 2016 deaths American League All-Stars Cincinnati Redlegs players Columbus Jets players Columbus Red Birds players Criollos de Caguas players Deaths from cancer in Puerto Rico Greensboro Patriots players Greenville Greenies players Havana Sugar Kings players Hollywood Stars players Houston Buffaloes players Jersey City Jerseys players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Minor league baseball managers National League All-Stars New York Yankees players New York Yankees scouts Omaha Cardinals players People from Peñuelas, Puerto Rico Pittsburgh Pirates players Richmond Virginians (minor league) players Rochester Red Wings players St. Louis Cardinals players Screwball pitchers Senadores de San Juan players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Cuba

Baseball career

Legacy and death

See also

References

External links