Roberto Muñoz Rodríguez (February 5, 1941 – September 24, 2012) was a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 ...

. 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 (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics,

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 penna ...

, and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. He played in the United States under the name of Roberto Rodriguez. Born in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

, Rodríguez carried a varied repertoire that relied on intelligence over raw explosiveness. He had a variable-speed

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 thro ...

(reaching 90 MPH), a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

, a tough

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 curve ...

, and a circle

change-up 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 ...

as his most effective offering. Once considered one of the best prospects in the

Kansas City Athletics The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 seas ...

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

system, he also pitched for the

and

organizations. Rodríguez was signed by the Athletics as an amateur free agent in 1963, spending seven minor league seasons from 1964–1970. He posted a 42–28 record and a 3.15

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 number ...

in 124 pitching appearances before being promoted to the big team in May 1967. He returned to the minors in early June and was recalled two months later. He went 1–1 with a 3.57 ERA and two saves in 15 games (five starts). On August 27, he earned his first and only major league victory against the

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 ...

, 2–1, allowing four hits to a powerful lineup that included Norm Cash,

Bill Freehan William Ashley Freehan (November 29, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers. The premier catcher in the American League for several years from the 19 ...

Al Kaline Albert William Kaline ( ; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kal ...

Dick McAuliffe Richard John McAuliffe (November 29, 1939 – May 13, 2016) was an American professional baseball shortstop / second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers (1960–73) and Boston Red Sox (1974–75). He was a ...

Eddie Mathews Edwin Lee Mathews (October 13, 1931 – February 18, 2001) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman. He played 17 seasons for Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952–1966); Houston Astros (1967) and Detroit Tigers (1967– ...

and Jim Northrup.Retrosheet.org – Kansas City Athletics 2, Detroit Tigers 1. Game Played on Sunday, August 27, 1967 (D) at Municipal Stadium
/ref> After that, Rodríguez would remain in the organization after the team was renamed the

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 te ...

in 1968. He returned to the majors in 1970, pitching for the Athletics, Padres and Cubs in the same season. He later played three Triple-A seasons with the Tacoma Cubs and the

Wichita Aeros The Wichita Aeros were an American minor league baseball franchise based in Wichita, Kansas, that played in the Triple-A American Association from 1970 through 1984. The Aeros were established as an expansion franchise when the Association grew ...

from 1971 through 1974. In a three-season career, he compiled a 4–3 record with a 4.81 ERA and seven saves in 57 games. Over the course of his 11-year minor league career from 1964–1974, he went 61–43 with a 3.60 ERA in 904 games. In addition, Rodríguez played in the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

during 17 seasons (1961–62/1978–79). ″Pluto″, as his teammates nicknamed him, went 64–49 with a 3.04 ERA and 59 saves in 168 games (97 starts), to become the first pitcher in VPBL history to top both 50 wins and 50 saves.Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela The mark was later matched by Luis Aponte (1973–74/1996–97) and

Giovanni Carrara Giovanni Carrara Jiménez ar-rah'-ra(born March 4, 1968) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. Listed at 6' 2", 225 lb., Carrara batted and threw right-handed. He established himself as a valuable middle relief man in MLB, as w ...

(1990–91/2009–10). After retiring he worked as a pitching coach in his Venezuelan homeland. He also served as an instructor in the baseball academy operated by

Carlos Guillén Carlos Alfonso Guillén (born September 30, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. Guillén was signed by the Houston Astros as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1992. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners with pitcher F ...

Maracay ) , image_skyline = , image_caption =Top:Maracay Municipal Garden and Las Delicias area, Second:Sindoni Tower, Los Tamarindo residential area and overview to Maracay, Third:Maestranza Cesar Giron Bullring Stadium, Girardot Square and Maracay ...

. In 2011, he gained induction into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame. Rodríguez died in Maracay in 2012, at the age of 71, after suffering a

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
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Venezuelan Winter League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Roberto 1941 births 2012 deaths Burlington Bees players Cardenales de Lara players Chicago Cubs players Daytona Beach Islanders players Industriales de Valencia players Iowa Oaks players Kansas City Athletics players Lewiston Broncs players Leones del Caracas players Llaneros de Acarigua players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Navegantes del Magallanes players Oakland Athletics players Baseball players from Caracas Sportspeople from Maracay San Diego Padres players Tacoma Cubs players Tigres de Aragua players Vancouver Mounties players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Wichita Aeros players

See also

References

External links