| Alex Carrasquel | |
|---|---|
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| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1912-07-24)July 24, 1912 Caracas, Venezuela | |
| Died: August 19, 1969(1969-08-19) (aged 57) Caracas, Venezuela | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 23, 1939, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 26, 1949, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 50-39 |
| Earned run average | 3.73 |
| Strikeouts | 252 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the Venezuelan | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2003 |
Alejandro Eloy Carrasquel Aparicio (July 24, 1912 – August 19, 1969) was aVenezuelanpitcher inMajor League Baseball (MLB) who played for theWashington Senators and theChicago White Sox over a span of eight seasons from 1939 to 1949. NicknamedPatón ("Bigfoot") in Venezuela, he was listed at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 182 pounds (83 kg), and batted and threw right handed.[1]
Carrasquel became thefirst Venezuelan-born player to ever appear in the majors[2] when he joined the Senators inits 1939 season. He is also known as one of the handful of major leaguers who jumped from theirorganized baseball teams to play in theMexican League in1946.[2]
Born inCaracas, Carrasquel had a finefastball, which he complemented with an effectiveknuckleball and a decentcurve. He started his major league career with the Senators of theAmerican League on April 23, 1939.[1] Carrasquel became the second player to go straight into the major leagues, followingTed Lyons, whodid it in 1923.
Carrasquel made his first appearance against theNew York Yankees atGriffith Stadium. Herelieved starterKen Chase with two outs in the fourth inning and a runner on first base. The first three batters Carrasquel faced were future Hall of FamersJoe DiMaggio,Lou Gehrig andBill Dickey. He retired them all,striking out DiMaggio while retiring Gehrig on aground ball and Dickey on apop fly. Carrasquel threw5+1⁄3 solid innings of relief, surrendering only one run over that span, though the Yankees won, 7–4.[3]
In his second game, on April 30, Carrasquel earned his firstsave atYankee Stadium. He was called in to relieve in the eighth inning, with two outs and thebases loaded, and Washington trying to preserve a 3–2 lead. Carrasquel got the third out by retiring Yankees second basemanJoe Gordon, then retiredRed Ruffing,Frankie Crosetti andRed Rolfe in order in the ninth to preserve the Senators victory.[4]
A month later, on May 30, Carrasquel hit his only careerhome run,[1] a solo blast off pitcherNels Potter in a 3–1 loss to thePhiladelphia Athletics, which was the first home run hit by a Venezuelan player in a major league game.[5]
In the 1940s, Carrasquel posted positive win–loss records in six consecutive seasons for lousy Senators teams that usually finished below .500. He had a 6–2 record (.750) in both 1940 and 1941, while the Senators went 64-90 and 70–84, respectively. In 1942 he went 7–7 (.500); Washington, 60–91.[1]
His most productive season came in 1943, when he had a 11–7 record and 3.43ERA in 39 games (13 starts), including fourcomplete games, oneshutout and five saves.[1] His shutout was also a career highlight on April 25, as he pitched a two-hitter, 5–0 victory against thePhiladelphia Athletics atShibe Park.[6] The Senators actually finished over .500 at 84–69.
Three days later, on May 3, Carrasquel made his third relief appearance and picked up his first win as well as the first by a Venezuelan pitcher in Major League Baseball history when the Senators defeated theSt. Louis Browns atSportsman’s Park. Washington rallied from a six-run deficit in the sixth, scoring seven runs over the final three innings of the game, en route to an 11–10 road victory. Carrasquel pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings to secure the historic win.[7]
Carrasquel made his first big league start on May 14 against the visitingBoston Red Sox atGriffith Stadium. Carrasquel engaged in an 11-inning pitching duel withLefty Grove and the score tied at 2–2, until the Red Sox chased him with three runs in the top of the 12th, while the Senators’ rally in the bottom of the inning against Grove and two relievers fell one run short, as the Sox prevailed, 5–4. Besides, in the 7th inning Carrasquel recorded the first hit by a Venezuelan player in the major leagues when he singled off Grove. Incidentally, Carrasquel faced a Red Sox starting lineup that had other future Hall of Famers:Joe Cronin,Bobby Doerr,Jimmie Foxx,Ted Williams, and the aforementioned Grove.[8] On August 13, he won a rematch with the Red Sox atFenway Park, earning his sixth win of the season in a 6–3, complete game effort.[9]
AlthoughWorld War II was officially over and baseball's finest players were back in their familiar ranks, tranquility no longer had a place in the majors. The newMexican League, headed by millionaireJorge Pasquel, had lured a cluster of big leaguers. On January 2, 1946, theChicago White Sox bought Carrasquel's contract from the Senators. He rejected the deal and fled to play in Mexico, signing a three-year contract – the first shot in the cross-border disputes that would dominate baseball even more than the return of the war veterans. “Pasquel paid me $3,000 cash [bonus], to sign a three-year contract calling for $10,000 a year,” Carrasquel said, in an interview three years later. “I took it, for in addition to the $33,000 I was to receive in Mexico, I also was free to pitch winter baseball”, he added, according to historian Lou Hernandez.[2] There were several other players who fled to Mexico, includingoutfielderDanny Gardella, pitchersSal Maglie andMax Lanier andcatcherMickey Owen. As a result,Commissioner of BaseballHappy Chandlersought a lifetime suspension for them, but his penalty was later reduced.
In1949, Carrasquel returned to the majors and made three appearances for the White Sox before beingfarmed out. When Chicago acquired his nephewChico Carrasquel in that season,GMFrank Lane swapped Alex to theDetroit Tigers for Cuban relieverWitto Aloma, who acted strictly as an interpreter for the young Venezuelanshortstop.
In an eight-season major league career, Carrasquel posted a 50–39 record with 252strikeouts, a 3.73ERA, 30complete games, fourshutouts, 16saves, and 861innings pitched in 258 games (64 as astarter).
Carrasquel was married to Virginia Johnson. They had two sons, Thomas and William. He died in Caracas, Venezuela, at the age of 57 in 1969. In his native country, Carrasquel was affectionately nicknamed 'Patón' (Bigfoot) due to his shoe size 14.[2]
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