Rafael Jerome Pérez (born May 15, 1982) is a Dominican former left-handed

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 ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. He was signed by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

as an undrafted

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in January 2002 and played with them through 2012. He lives in

Freeport, New York Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York state. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest village in New York by population. A settleme ...

, on Long Island.

Professional career

Cleveland Indians

In 2002, Pérez finished second in the

Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League (DSL) is a branch of affiliated Minor League Baseball which is played in the Dominican Republic. The league was founded in 1985. After the demise of the Venezuelan Summer League after the 2015 season, it is the only ...

with a 0.96

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 ...

. In , he was named Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year playing for the Single-A Burlington Indians and led the Appalachian League in wins (9-3) and ERA (1.70).In , his 12 wins tied for 3rd in Indians organization and he had a 2.62 ERA in 29 combined appearances (22 starts) for Kinston and

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

. He was added to the Indians 40-man roster in November. In , Pérez had a 2.81 ERA in 12 starts with Akron and a 2.63 ERA in 13 relief appearances with Triple-A Buffalo. He made his MLB debut on April 20, , against

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, pitching one inning and

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two. Pérez was not expected to be a major part of the Indians' major league club in , but he surprised the Indians organization after he was called up from the team's Triple-A affiliate, the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

, on May 28. Pérez was initially slated for long relief, but after he demonstrated his ability to pitch in tight situations, he was inserted into a setup role alongside right-handed reliever

Rafael Betancourt Rafael Jose Betancourt (born April 29, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies, as well as in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) ...

. The two setup men were nicknamed Raffy Left and Raffy Right by local Indians fans. Pérez, with his hard

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and tight

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, quickly became one of the most dominant relievers in the league. In 2007, Pérez posted a sparkling 1.78 ERA, over 60 innings pitched in 44 appearances. He had a WHIP (

walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. WHIP is calculated by adding the number of walks and hits allowed and divid ...

) of only .923, and held left-handed batters to just a .145

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analyst

Peter Gammons Peter Gammons (born April 9, 1945) is an American sportswriter, media personality, and musician. He is a recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing, given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Early ...

called him "arguably the best left-handed reliever on the planet."

2013: Boston, Minnesota

On February 14, 2013, Pérez signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. He was released on May 17 after appearing in only four games for the Rochester Red Wings and signed with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

organization on May 23. With the AA

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...

, he pitched in 25 games and was 2-2 with a 2.64 ERA.

2014: Texas, Mexico, Pittsburgh

He signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on January 18, 2014 but only appeared in four games for the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

before he was released on April 17. He spent the next few months 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 ...

with the Rojos del Águila de Veracruz where he was 3-5 with a 3.92 ERA in 10 games, including 8 starts. He signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 12, 2014 and pitched for the AAA Indianapolis Indians where he was 3-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 10 games (another 8 starts).

Seattle Mariners

Pérez signed a minor league contract with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

on February 12, 2015. He was invited to spring training, but did not make the team. His release was announced on July 2.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On March 28, 2016, Pérez signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Quintana Roo Tigers (), formerly known as the Mexico (City) Tigers () are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve champio ...

of 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 ...

Long Island Ducks

On March 28, 2017, Perez signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent after the 2017 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Rafael 1982 births Living people Akron Aeros players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Burlington Indians players (1986–2006) Cleveland Indians players Chunichi Dragons players Columbus Clippers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Gigantes del Cibao players Indianapolis Indians players Kinston Indians players Lake County Captains players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Portland Sea Dogs players Rochester Red Wings players Rojos del Águila de Veracruz players Round Rock Express players Tigres de Quintana Roo players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2009 World Baseball Classic players