Orlando Gregorio Peña Guevara (born November 17, 1933) is a

Cuban Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban Americ ...

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 ...

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. The right-hander played in

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for all or parts of 14 seasons between and for the

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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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

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 ...

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and

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.Baseball Reference
/ref> Born in Victoria de Las Tunas, he was listed as tall and .

Baseball career

Peña was one of many Cuban players who entered the Cincinnati Redlegs' minor league system in the mid-1950s when the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

club affiliated with the

Havana Sugar Kings The Havana Sugar Kings () were a Cuban-based minor league baseball team that played from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 until 1960, they belonged in the Class Triple-A (baseball), AAA International League, affiliated with Major League Baseball's Cinci ...

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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. After four successful years in the

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, Carolina and International leagues, he was recalled by Cincinnati in

August 1958 The following events occurred in August 1958: August 1, 1958 (Friday) *As part of its Operation Hardtack I, Operation Hardtack tests, the United States Hardtack Teak, detonated a 3.88 megaton hydrogen bomb directly above the test site at Jo ...

and was the

winning pitcher Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * '' Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Foot Pole, 2022 ...

in his MLB debut on August 24. Coming into a game against the

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relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

in the eighth inning with the Redlegs trailing 5–4, he held the Dodgers to one hit and no runs and struck out three in two full innings of work. When Cincinnati's

Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019), nicknamed "the Judge", was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams over 21 seasons: the Cincinnati Reds (1956–196 ...

hit a two-run

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

in the ninth inning, Peña emerged as the winning hurler. He also earned the first three saves of his MLB career before the 1958 campaign ended. Peña spent all of on the Cincinnati roster, and got into 46

games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

. But his effectiveness declined, and he would bounce between Triple-A and the majors for the next three seasons. Acquired by the Kansas City Athletics in August 1962, Peña was plugged into the second-division team's

starting rotation This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

and won six of ten decisions, posted a solid 3.01

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 ...

and threw six

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 ...

s, including a three-hit

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 ...

against the Angels on August 29.

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br>box score: 1962-08-29
/ref> He continued to take a turn in the Kansas City rotation for the next two seasons and won a dozen games each year for the struggling Athletics, but he also led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

in games lost (20) in and

home runs allowed A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be pe ...

(40) in . When he lost his first six decisions of , Peña was

waived A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. A waiver is often written, such as a disclaimer that has been accepted, but it may also be spoken between two or more parties. When the right to hold a p ...

to the Tigers, where he became an effective relief pitcher through the end of . In , Peña registered a career-high eight saves for the Tigers and Indians with an earned run average of 3.59, but Cleveland sent him back to the minors in 1968 and Peña would not return to the majors until June 1970 when he signed as a

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 ...

with the Pirates. Working out of the Pittsburgh bullpen, he was successful for his first month with club, but rocky outings during August ruined his Pirate tenure and he was released August 26. The 37-year-old Peña was not ready to retire, however. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles' organization for and was highly effective in minor league assignments (winning 33 games, losing eight, and posting a brilliant 1.14 earned run average in 317

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 ...

) through . He was mediocre in two trials for the Orioles, but, upon being acquired by the Cardinals on June 15, 1973, he became a key part of the Redbirds' bullpen, appearing in 84 games and notching nine wins and seven saves with a 2.36 ERA before being sent to his final MLB destination, the Angels, in September 1974. The Angels released him the following May, but Peña continued pitching in the minors for the next two seasons, and made an abbreviated comeback at age 45 with the Miami Amigos in the 1979 Triple-A

Inter-American League The Inter-American League was a high-level circuit in Minor league baseball that lasted only three months before folding during the 1979 season. The league was conceived both as an official Triple-A minor league circuit and member of the Nation ...

. His professional pitching career in organized baseball encompassed 22 years. In all or parts of 14 major league seasons, Peña posted a 56–77 record with 818

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 and a 3.71

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

in 427

games pitched In baseball statistics, games pitched (denoted by Games G in tables of only pitching statistics) is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher. The statistic is also referred to as appearances, especially to refer to the number of ...

, including 93 starts, 21

s, four

s, 40 saves, and 1,202

. After his playing retirement, Peña was a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for the Tigers and

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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

References

External links

Orlando Pena
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Orlando 1933 births Living people Almendares (baseball) players Baltimore Orioles players California Angels players Chicago White Sox scouts Cincinnati Redlegs players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Daytona Beach Islanders players Detroit Tigers players Detroit Tigers scouts Havana Sugar Kings players High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms players Jersey City Jerseys players Kansas City Athletics players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Cuba 20th-century Cuban sportsmen Miami Amigos players Miami Orioles players Navegantes del Magallanes players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Omaha Royals players People from Las Tunas (city) Sportspeople from Las Tunas Province Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players Rochester Red Wings players St. Louis Cardinals players Seattle Angels players Tiburones de La Guaira players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Tucson Toros players

Baseball career

See also

References

External links