André Albanez Rienzo (born July 5, 1988) is a Brazilian

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 professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

for the

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (''Owls of the Two Laredos''), formerly known as the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo (''Owls of Nuevo Laredo''), are a Minor League Baseball team based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and Laredo, Texas in the Mexican Leagu ...

of 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 ...

. He previously 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

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 ...

and

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

. Rienzo represented Brazil in the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike ...

. He became the first Brazilian-born pitcher to start and win an MLB game.

Early life

Rienzo was raised with his two older brothers by his mother in

São Paulo, Brazil SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U. ...

. Following his parents' divorce, Rienzo's mother decided that the best way to keep Rienzo and his brothers out of trouble was to follow the example of the large Japanese community in Brazil. Rienzo's mother played

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

and her sons were among the few to play

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

in their area; in Brazil, both sports are niche sports primarily played by Japanese-Brazilians. A Cuban pitching coach and scout eventually helped Rienzo to develop his four-pitch arsenal.

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

The

signed Rienzo as an international free agent on November 17, 2006. He played in 7 games (3 starts) for 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 ...

White Sox 2, where he went 1–1 with a 7.63 ERA, striking out 22 in 15.1 innings. Rienzo split 2008 with the DSL White Sox 1 and 2, where in 8 games (7 starts), he went 5–1 with a 1.33 ERA, striking out 44 in 40.2 innings. Rienzo spent 2009 with

Bristol White Sox The Bristol Pirates were a Minor League Baseball team in Bristol, Virginia, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team played home games at DeVault Memorial Stadium. Opened in 1969, Devault Memorial Stadium ...

of the Rookie-level

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from J ...

, where in 13 games (9 starts), he went 2–6 with a 4.14 ERA, striking out 49 in 54.1 innings. Rienzo played 2010 with the

Kannapolis Intimidators Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. T ...

of the Class A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

, where in 20 games (18 starts), he went 8–4 with a 3.65 ERA, striking out 125 in 101 innings. Rienzo spent 2011 with the

Winston-Salem Dash The Winston-Salem Dash are a Minor League Baseball team in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They are a High-A team in the South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Chicago White Sox since 1997. The Dash began playing their home games a ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 un ...

, where in 25 games (22 starts), he went 6–5 with a 3.41 ERA, striking out 118 in 116 innings. He was named a Carolina League midseason All-Star. Rienzo began 2012 with Winston-Salem, but on April 26, Rienzo was suspended for 50 games following a positive test for metabolites of

stanozolol Stanozolol ( abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American pharmaceutical company W ...

. After the suspension, Rienzo pitched for the

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Southern League, and he also made a start in September for the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

. In 18 total starts, he went 7–3 with a 2.53 ERA, striking out 113 in 103.1 innings. Rienzo pitched for the

Salt River Rafters The Salt River Rafters are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick near Scottsdale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility ...

in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fi ...

after the 2012 season, but he left early to join the Brazilian national baseball team in the

qualifying round. The

added Rienzo to their 40-man roster after the 2012 season. Rienzo began 2013 with Charlotte, where he went 8–6 in 20 starts with a 4.06 ERA before being recalled on July 30 by the White Sox to make a spot start for

Jake Peavy Jacob Edward Peavy (born May 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw right- ...

, who was scratched amid trade rumors. Rienzo made his major league debut against 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 ...

pitching seven innings, giving up three unearned runs, three walks and six strikeouts, with a no-decision in a 7–4 loss to fellow Brazilian Yan Gomes' Indians. On August 21, 2013, Rienzo got his first Major League win in a 5–2 victory over the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

Miami Marlins

On December 11, 2014, the White Sox traded Rienzo to the

for Dan Jennings. On January 13, 2016, Rienzo was designated for assignment to make room for newly signed righty Edwin Jackson. He was released on August 29, 2016.

San Diego Padres

On December 13, 2016, Rienzo signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

. He served as

ESPN Brasil ESPN is the Brazilian division of ESPN Inc. Launched in March 1989 as Canal+, it was the first country-specific version of ESPN outside the United States, launched in June 1995. The channel has covered major sporting events, like the 1996, 200 ...

commentator during the

2017 World Series The 2017 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 season. The 113th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers and ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Acereros de Monclova

On June 12, 2018, Rienzo signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. Their home ballpark is Estadio de Béisbol Monclova, which has a capacity of 11,000 people. The Ace ...

of the

. In 2018, André Rienzo led the Mexican Baseball League with an 0.76 ERA in 47.1 innings. His 2019 season wasn't as good, posting a 5.59 ERA in 29 innings pitched.

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos

On December 14, 2019, Rienzo was traded to the

of the

. Rienzo did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

International career

He was selected for

Brazil national baseball team The Brazil national baseball team ( Portuguese: ''Seleção Brasileira de Beisebol'') is the national baseball team of Brazil. The team represents Brazil in international competitions. The team is currently ranked 18th in the world. Results and f ...

at the

2013 World Baseball Classic Qualification The Qualifying Round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic was held from September 19 to November 19, 2012. Although the 2006 and 2009 editions of the World Baseball Classic were contested by the same pre-selected field of 16 teams, for the 2013 to ...

2017 World Baseball Classic Qualification The Qualifying Round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic was held from February 11 to September 25, 2016. Teams which participated at the 2013 World Baseball Classic were automatically qualified for the 2017 tournament except the four nations whic ...

2019 Pan American Games Qualifier The 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier is a baseball tournament that was held between January 29 and February 3, 2019 in Ibiúna and São Paulo, Brazil. The tournament qualified the last four teams to the Baseball at the 2019 Pan American Games tour ...

, and 2021 World Baseball Classic Qualifier.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rienzo, Andre 1988 births Living people Acereros de Monclova players Birmingham Barons players Brazilian expatriate baseball players in Mexico Brazilian expatriate baseball players in the United States Bristol White Sox players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Dominican Summer League White Sox players El Paso Chihuahuas players Gulf Coast Marlins players Jacksonville Suns players Jupiter Hammerheads players Kannapolis Intimidators players Leones del Escogido players Brazilian expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball broadcasters Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Brazil Mexican League baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players New Orleans Zephyrs players Salt River Rafters players Sportspeople from São Paulo Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos players Tiburones de La Guaira players Brazilian expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Winston-Salem Dash players Yaquis de Obregón players 2013 World Baseball Classic players American people of Brazilian descent