Ramon Antonio Peña (born January 9, 1982), is a Dominican former professional baseball

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 throws a 4-seam and 2-seam

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 ...

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 * ...

, and a

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 ...

. Pena's slider is considered to have above average break, and his 4-seam fastball is better than his stats would indicate, judging by velocity and control.

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Peña was signed by 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 ...

as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on June 13, 2002. Peña played under the identity of his nephew Adriano Rosario in his first two seasons of Double-A baseball. He made his MLB debut on July 18, 2006. As a rookie, he went 3–4 with a 5.58 ERA over innings. He struck out 21, while walking eight and giving up six home runs. After boasting a 1.04 ERA in the month of July, Peña struggled in August with a 6.59 ERA and September with a 9.82 ERA. In the last month of the season, he posted two scoreless outings over six appearances. Peña made the Major League roster out of spring training for the first time in his career in 2007. He made his season debut on April 3 against the Colorado Rockies, tossing two scoreless innings of relief. He earned his first win on April 18, pitching a perfect inning of relief. He finished the month of May going 2–1 with a 1.88 ERA with three holds. Peña picked up his first save of the season on May 8 against the Philadelphia Phillies, second of career. He pitched 12 scoreless innings of relief from June 5 to 28, the longest streak of the season by a D-backs reliever. He ranks fourth in franchise history with 32 career holds and is second on the single-season franchise record list with 30 holds, 5 behind Brandon Lyon. Peña picked up his first Major League hit on May 25 against the Houston Astros, a RBI single to right field. His 23 holds led the team and tied for fourth 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 ...

in 2008. His 55 career holds are second only to Brandon Lyon's 62 in team history. He recorded 5 consecutive holds for the second time in his career from April 21 to 30. Peña earned his first save of the season on May 16 against the Detroit Tigers.

Chicago White Sox

On July 7, 2009, he was traded to the

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 ...

for minor leaguer Brandon Allen. He went 1–2 with the Sox in 2009 and a combined 6–5 with two saves, 55 strikeouts and a 3.99 ERA in 72 games. On May 29, 2011, Peña was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow tendinitis retroactive to May 28. He would later be transferred to the 60-day DL, where he spent the rest of the season. He was released by the White Sox following the season.

York Revolution

He became a free agent from the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseba ...

after the 2016 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Tony 1982 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Angels players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States El Paso Diablos players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Missoula Osprey players South Bend Silver Hawks players Sportspeople from Santo Domingo Tennessee Smokies players Tucson Sidewinders players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic York Revolution players 2009 World Baseball Classic players