José Jiménez (born July 7, 1973) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), 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 played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He appeared in seven seasons from 1998 to 2004 for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, and

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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. The Cardinals signed him as an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in his native

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

in 1991. Jiménez' career in MLB commenced as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

with the Cardinals and he converted to relief pitching with the Rockies,

saving Saving is income not spent, or deferred Consumption (economics), consumption. In economics, a broader definition is any income not used for immediate consumption. Saving also involves reducing expenditures, such as recurring Cost, costs. Methods ...

more than 100 games. As a rookie with the Cardinals in 1999, Jiménez pitched a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

in the first of two consecutive starts defeating the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

and future Hall of Famer

Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed, "the Big Unit," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizo ...

in 1−0

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

shutouts. After converting to relief with the Rockies, he set club records for saves in a single season with 41 in 2002 and career with 102. Results were mixed in his last three seasons, as his

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 2002 was 3.56 and he experienced consecutive season with 2−10 win–loss records and 1−7 in his final MLB season of 2004.

St.Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals signed Jiménez as an amateur

in 1991.

Major League debut (1998)

The Cardinals first called Jiménez up to the major league roster in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, and he made his major league debut on against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

on September 9, 1998. He completed three

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

, allowing no

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

s, one hit and one

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

with two

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s. Jiménez made four major league appearances with three starts in 1998, allowing seven earned runs in innings for a 2.95

(ERA).

Rookie season and no-hitter (1999)

Still considered a rookie in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, Jiménez became a regular in the Cardinals' starting rotation. He pitched a

against eventual Hall of Famer

and the

on June 25, 1999. The Cardinals were victorious by a score of 1–0. He is one of the 24 rookie pitchers to have pitched a no-hitter in Major League histor

For the week ending June 27, he earned National League (baseball), National League Player of the Week honors. In Jiménez' second start after the no-hitter, he again faced Johnson and the Diamondbacks, winning a second consecutive

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

decision by a 1−0 score while allowing two hits. The two starts against Johnson and the Diamondbacks were the only two shutouts of Jiménez' major league career. He finished the 1999 season with a 5−14 record and a 5.85 ERA in 29 appearances and 28 starts.

Colorado Rockies

Jiménez was acquired by the 2000 season and became a staple in the Rockies bullpen, transitioning from starter to closer. From 2000-2003 he collected 102 saves for the Rockies, becoming the all-time saves leader in the Rockies franchise. He set a franchise record 41 saves in 2002, while having an ERA of 3.56 despite having a record of 2–10. The following season he swung back into a starter, making seven starts and 20 saves for the Rockies, but ballooned his ERA to 5.22 and again having a record of 2–10.

Cleveland Indians

At 30 years old, he pitched in 2004 for the Indians; he would wind up released after going 1–7 with an 8.42 ERA.

Post-Major League career

At the

Pan-American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

, Jiménez tested positive for a banned substance and was subsequently removed from the competition.Former MLB pitcher Jimenez tested positive for anabolic steroids
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimenez, Jose 1973 births Arkansas Travelers players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Johnson City Cardinals players Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Memphis Redbirds players Baseball players from San Pedro de Macorís Peoria Chiefs players Prince William Cannons players St. Louis Cardinals players