Odalis Amadol Pérez (June 11, 1977 – March 10, 2022) was a Dominican

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 professional ...

starting pitcher. He played with 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) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

(–), 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 ...

(–), the Kansas City Royals (2006–), and the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

().

Personal life

Pérez was a 1995 graduate of Damian David Ortiz High School in his homeland. He had a son, Odalis, Jr. Pérez, participated in community baseball clinics for the Dodgers and the Manny Mota International Foundation and also visited schools in Los Angeles area as part of the Dodger Jams program.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Pérez joined the Braves in September 1998, going 0-1. He won a game for the Braves in the 1998 postseason, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to earn a playoff win without having won a regular season game. On May 2, 1999, Pérez got his first regular-season victory pitching 5.2 innings and allowing two

earned runs In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

with seven strikeouts, as Atlanta rolled to a 5-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. On January 15, 2002, he was traded by the Braves with Andrew Brown (minors) and

Brian Jordan Brian O'Neal Jordan (born March 29, 1967) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and National Football League safety. In the NFL, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, while he played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Los An ...

to the Dodgers for

Gary Sheffield Gary Antonian Sheffield (born November 18, 1968) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for eight teams from 1988 to 2009. He is a sports agent. For most of his career, Sheffield played right ...

Los Angeles Dodgers

In a two-year period from 2002-, he won 27 games (15 in 2002, 12 in 2003), which was tied for the third most wins by a left-handed

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 ...

in 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 ...

, joining

Tom Glavine Thomas Michael Glavine (born March 25, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, for the Atlanta Braves (1987–2002, 2008) and New York Mets (2003–2007). With 164 victories durin ...

behind

Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American photographer and former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle M ...

and

Al Leiter Alois Terry Leiter (; born October 23, 1965) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from to for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blu ...

, and 10th most in the majors. He was the first Dodger left-hander to register at least 12 wins in consecutive seasons since

Fernando Valenzuela Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (, born November 1, 1960) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from to and to . While he played for six MLB teams, he is best remembered f ...

accomplished the feat during (21) and (14). During the same period, Pérez also had the sixth-most strikeouts (296) among all major-league lefties, ranking fourth in the National League behind Johnson,

Randy Wolf Randall Christopher Wolf (born August 22, 1976) nicknamed "Wolfie", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, ...

and Leiter. Also in those two seasons, Pérez allowed two earned runs or less in 33 of his 62 starts, being selected to the All-Star game in 2002 — a season in which he pitched a pair of one-hit games. A career highlight for Pérez occurred on August 28, 2002, as he defeated the

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 ...

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ...

with a score of 1–0, during which he pitched 8.0 scoreless innings and slugged his first career home run for the only run of the game. With this victory, he became the first Major League pitcher to win a 1–0 game and hit the game-winning homer since the Dodgers’ Bob Welch accomplished the feat on June 17, 1983. This game also marked the beginning of closer

Éric Gagné Éric Serge Gagné (; born January 7, 1976) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After signing with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1995 ...

's record-breaking streak, the first game of 84 consecutive saves. Pérez had 18

no decision A no decision (sometimes written no-decision) is one of either of two sports statistics scenarios; one in baseball and softball, and the other in boxing and related combat sports. Baseball and softball A starting pitcher who leaves a game with ...

s in 2004, the most among MLB starting pitchers for that season.

Kansas City Royals

In 2006, concerns about Pérez's work ethic and attitude arose, and the front office soon was looking to deal the left hander, as then-GM Ned Colletti details in his memoir, The Big Chair. Shortly after a disappointing outing in a 10-8 loss in Arizona on May 2, owner Frank McCourt approached Colletti, telling him to trade Odalis. "I don't care if you've got to eat the entire contract. Get him out of here." On July 25, 2006, Perez and two minor league pitchers (Blake Johnson and Julio Pimentel) were traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for

Elmer Dessens Elmer Dessens Jusaino eh-SENZ(born January 13, 1971) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Personal life Elmer Dessens was born on January 13, 1971, in Hermosillo, Mexico. At age 10, he worked as a ne ...

. Cash considerations were also sent to the Royals in the deal. On October 31, 2007, the Royals declined Perez's $9 million option and paid him a $1.5 million buyout.

Washington Nationals

On February 19, 2008, Pérez signed a minor league contract with the

and was invited to spring training. Pérez had his contract purchased by the Nationals on March 20, 2008. Perez got the Opening Day start for Washington on March 30, 2008. He gave up the first home run in the history of Nationals Park, to

Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the first overall p ...

in the top of the fourth. He allowed the one run and surrendered four hits over five innings and ended up with a no-decision.

Ryan Zimmerman Ryan Wallace Zimmerman (born September 28, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman who played 16 seasons for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Zimmerman graduated from Kellam Hig ...

hit a walk-off home rune to decide the first game in the history of Nationals Park, 3-2. He also struck out the first batter and delivered the first pitch in the history of

Nationals Park Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Home to Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals since its completion in 2008, it was the first LEED-certified green major profe ...

. Pérez agreed to a minor league contract with the Nationals prior to the season. However, he had second thoughts and did not report to spring training, instead wanting a major league deal. He was subsequently released.

Death

Pérez died after falling off a ladder at his home in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

on March 10, 2022. He was 44. Pérez was alone at home at the time of death.

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Odalis 1977 births 2022 deaths Accidental deaths from falls Atlanta Braves players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Eugene Emeralds players Greenville Braves players Gulf Coast Braves players Kansas City Royals players Las Vegas 51s players Los Angeles Dodgers players Macon Braves players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic National League All-Stars Potomac Nationals players Richmond Braves players Washington Nationals players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players Accidental deaths in the Dominican Republic