Carlos "Petaca" Rodríguez Araújo (December 23, 1915 – November 15, 1990) was a Colombian

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

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, ...

. He is considered one of the greatest Colombian baseball players of all time.

Career

Rodríguez began playing in Colombia's amateur leagues as an outfielder, before transitioning to pitching in Barranquilla. He debuted with the

Colombia national baseball team The Colombia national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Colombia'') is the national baseball team of Colombia. The team represents Colombia in international competitions. Colombia has won two international baseball championship ...

at 23 years old, at the

1938 Bolivarian Games The I Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'') were a multi-sport event held between August 6–22, 1938, in Bogotá, Colombia, at the Estadio El Campín, for the city's 400th anniversary. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sport ...

. He also appeared in three

Amateur World Series The Baseball World Cup (BWC) was an international baseball tournament for national teams around the world, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). First held in 1938 as the Amateur World Series (AWS), it was, for most of its ...

(AWS) tournaments in

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

, and

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

, as well as the

1946 Central American and Caribbean Games The fifth Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Barranquilla, Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North A ...

. At the 1946 games, he led the tournament

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 ...

(0.00) over 29

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 ...

(second only to Diomedes Olivo's 36.1 IP).

Jorge Pasquel Jorge Pasquel Casanueva (April 23, 1907 - March 7, 1955) was a Mexican businessman and baseball executive. He was president of the Mexican League and owned interests in several teams at a time when the league recruited from Negro league baseball a ...

, then-president of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

, offered Rodríguez a $5,000 contract to sign with

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

; Rodríguez declined the offer. Rodríguez led the Colombian team to its first world championship in baseball at the 1947 Amateur World Series, held in Cartagena. In the run-up to the series, he petitioned the national government to build a new stadium in Cartagena, which would become the

Estadio Once de Noviembre Estadio Once de Noviembre Abel Leal Díaz is a baseball stadium in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. It currently serves as the home of the Tigres de Cartagena of Colombia's professional baseball league. The stadium has a seating capacity of 12,500 ...

. His participation in the tournament was controversial;

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

withdrew from the tournament, alleging that Rodríguez had forfeited his amateur status after playing in Panama's professional league. Rodríguez played with several teams in the

Colombian Professional Baseball League The Colombian Professional Baseball League ( or LPB), is a professional baseball league based in Colombia. It is a five-team winter league that plays during the Major League Baseball offseason. In the past, the league's champion has taken part in ...

, including

Indios de Cartagena Indios de Cartagena (''Cartagena Indians'') were a baseball team active in the Colombian Professional Baseball League. Founded in the league's inaugural 1948 season by Juan González Cornet, the team was one of the most successful in Colombian b ...

, Torices de Cartagena, and Vanytor de Barranquilla. In 1948, he pitched a shutout against the

Havana Cubans 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 AAA International League, affiliated with Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. Their hom ...

of the

Florida International League The Florida International League was a lower- to mid-level circuit in American and Cuban minor league baseball that existed from 1946 through July 27, 1954. It was designated Class C level league for its first three seasons, then upgraded to Clas ...

. Rodríguez was left off the Colombian roster for the 1952 Latin American Series due to a purported disagreement with the manager, Juan González Cornet. But in 1956, he again played with the Colombian national team at the

1956 Global World Series The 1956 Global World Series was the second edition of the Global World Series, an international baseball tournament organized by the National Baseball Congress World Series, International Baseball Congress in the mid-1950s. It was held in Milwau ...

, held in Milwaukee; Rodríguez allowed only three hits in a 7–1 victory over

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Rodríguez eventually retired in 1957.

Death and legacy

Rodríguez died at the Hospital Universitario in Cartagena on November 15, 1990. , a Colombian sports journalist, said that Rodríguez was we "the first Colombian professional pitcher who could have reached the major leagues. He was original. He did not have any great speed nor great control, nor a big curve, but some of each of those qualities and that's why he was dominant."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Petaca 1915 births 1990 deaths Baseball pitchers Colombian expatriate baseball players Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Panama Competitors at the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games Indios de Cartagena players Baseball players from Cartagena, Colombia