Jonathan Stanley Loáisiga Estrada ( , born November 2, 1994) is a

Nicaraguan Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

professional

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 ...

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

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

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). He made his MLB debut in 2018.

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

Loáisiga signed with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

as an international free agent on September 23, 2012. He made his professional debut in 2013 with the

DSL Giants The Dominican Summer League Giants or DSL Giants are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica South division and is affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. History The team first came into e ...

and spent the whole season there, posting an 8–1

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

with a 2.75

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 numb ...

(ERA) and 1.11

WHIP A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...

in 13 games started. He did not pitch in 2014 and 2015 due to injuries, and the Giants released him on May 30, 2015.

New York Yankees

He signed with the

on February 9, 2016. He began the season with the

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. ...

, and after pitching one game, he suffered an injury which required

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...

. The Yankees added him to their 40-man roster after the season. He returned in 2017 and pitched for both the

GCL Yankees The Florida Complex League Yankees are a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Yankees, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball ...

and

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

, pitching to a combined 1–1 record and 1.38 ERA in 11 starts. Loáisiga began the 2018 season with the

Tampa Yankees Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Coun ...

of the

Low-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A follow ...

, and earned a promotion to the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the Double ...

of the Double-A Eastern League after starting the season with 3–0 record with 1.35 ERA over four starts. In Trenton, he made six starts, compiling a 4.32 ERA, however impressed by striking out 32 batters in 25 innings of work. After Yankees starter

Masahiro Tanaka is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). From 2007 through 2013, he played for the Eagles in NPB. Tanaka was posted by the Eagles after the 2013 season to be si ...

was injured, Loáisiga was called up to the majors, skipping the Triple-A level. He made his major league debut on June 15, 2018, during which he pitched five scoreless innings, and earned the win. He was also the first

to play for the Yankees. He made four starts for the Yankees, pitching to a 3.00 ERA, and was optioned to the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

of the Triple-A

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 ( ...

on July 2. He was recalled to the Yankees on September 2 after roster expansion. In total he pitched innings for the Yankees in 2018. He followed it up in 2019 with innings across 15 appearances for the Yankees. In 2020, Loáisiga broke camp with the Yankees, again serving as a swing man, starting occasionally and also coming out of the bullpen. On April 24, 2021, Loáisiga recorded his first career save 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 ...

. Two months later on June 25, Loáisiga became the first relief pitcher in Yankees history to strike out four batters in one inning, striking out Michael Chavis,

Alex Verdugo Alexander Brady Verdugo (born May 15, 1996) is an Mexican-American professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Verdugo in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft. He mad ...

J. D. Martinez Julio Daniel Martinez (born August 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, a ...

, and

Xander Bogaerts Xander Jan Bogaerts (born October 1, 1992; ), nicknamed "the X-Man" and "Bogey" or "Bogie", is an Aruban professional baseball shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston ...

of 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 eig ...

in the seventh inning. In July 2021, Loáisiga, along with teammates

Nestor Cortes Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, L ...

, and

Wandy Peralta Wandy Luis Peralta Dominguez (born July 27, 1991) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. Peralta si ...

tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

, causing the Yankees to put him on the COVID-19 injured list and the MLB to postpone the game against the

to the start of the second half of the season. Loáisiga finished the 2021 season with 18 holds, a 2.17 ERA and 69 strikeouts in innings. In 2022 he was 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA. On May 1, 2023, it was announced that Loáisiga would be out until August after undergoing surgery to remove a

bone spur An exostosis, also known as bone spur, is the formation of new bone on the surface of a bone. Exostoses can cause chronic pain ranging from mild to debilitatingly severe, depending on the shape, size, and location of the lesion. It is most commonl ...

from his right elbow. On August 7, Loáisiga was activated from the injured list.

International career

Loáisiga played for the Nicaraguan national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifiers, where the team lost to

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. He was also selected to the Nicaraguan squad for the

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), an international professional baseball tournament, is set to be the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It was originally set for 2021 (as per tradition to hold the event every four years), but wa ...

after they advanced from the

qualifying round Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

. In two innings pitched over two appearances, Loáisiga earned a 13.50 ERA, including a blown save against

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

after he allowed three hits to score three earned runs in the eighth inning. Despite his performance, Loáisiga called the WBC a “really good experience,” adding that, "when you’re given this opportunity to represent your country and have the chance to participate in an event like this, I think any of us will take that. It’s a unique opportunity... To be able to wear the uniform of your country, it means a lot.”

Personal life

His father Stanley Loáisiga played in the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They p ...

minor league system and his grandfather was an accomplished professional pitcher in Nicaragua. His brother Mike signed with 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 Brookly ...

at 17 and played in the team's minor leagues until 2018. Growing up, Jonathan idolized

Dennis Martínez José Dennis Martínez Ortiz (born May 14, 1955), nicknamed "El Presidente" (The President), is a Nicaraguan professional baseball pitcher. Martínez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos, Cleveland India ...

, a fellow Nicaraguan who won 245 games in the major leagues.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loaisiga, Jonathan 1994 births Living people Sportspeople from Managua Major League Baseball players from Nicaragua Nicaraguan expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball pitchers New York Yankees players Dominican Summer League Giants players Nicaraguan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Charleston RiverDogs players Gulf Coast Yankees players Staten Island Yankees players Tampa Tarpons players Trenton Thunder players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players 2023 World Baseball Classic players