| John Candelaria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1953-11-06)November 6, 1953 (age 72) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 8, 1975, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 7, 1993, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 177–122 |
| Earned run average | 3.33 |
| Strikeouts | 1,673 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Robert Candelaria (born November 6, 1953) is a Puerto Rican-American formerMajor League Baseballpitcher. Nicknamed "the Candy Man", he played in MLB during the years 1975–1993 for eight teams, thePittsburgh Pirates,California Angels,New York Mets,New York Yankees,Montreal Expos,Minnesota Twins,Toronto Blue Jays, and theLos Angeles Dodgers.
Candelaria was born on November 6, 1953, toPuerto Rican parents.[1] He is the second of four children born to John and Felicia Candelaria. He grew up in the Flatbush section ofBrooklyn,New York. He frequently attendedNew York Yankees games atYankee Stadium.[2]
At the age of 15, Candelaria attended a baseball tryout where aLos Angeles Dodgers scout called him the best[clarification needed] he had ever seen. The tryout catcher had to be replaced with a major league catcher for fear of injuring the stand-in.
Candelaria played as acenter in theBaloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), the top tier basketball league in thePuerto Rico, for 2 seasons with thePiratas de Quebradillas in 1971 and 1972.[3] When he announced he was leaving the Quebradillas basketball "Pirates" for the Pittsburgh Pirates, many were skeptical. The local newspaper featured him pitching a basketball on the front page of the sports section. He had attendedLa Salle Academy in lower Manhattan and gained fame as a basketball center, including leading his team to a championship in 1971.
Candelaria quickly worked his way through the Pirates' minor league system, going 10-2 in his first season of single-A ball at age 19 in 1973. He got off to a fast start in AAA in 1975, going 7-1 and earning a call-up in June. Candelaria went 8-6 for the remainder of the 1975 season with the Pirates and gained national acclaim by starting Game 3 of the1975 NLCS against theCincinnati Reds. He struck out 14 Reds and pitched eight innings, but gave up a game-tying two-run home run toPete Rose in the eighth. The Reds would win the game 5-3 in extra innings and win the NLCS. Candelaria followed up with a 16-7 record in 1976, including ano-hitter against theLos Angeles Dodgers on August 9.
Candelaria had his best season in 1977, when he was 20–5 with a 2.34 ERA in230+2⁄3 innings pitched. He was also a member of the 1979 World Series champion Pirates team. Candelaria's second post-season appearance with the Pirates (he pitched Game 3 in the 1975 NLCS) came in their 1979 World Series championship season. Candelaria started Game 1 of the1979 NLCS and pitched seven innings of two-run ball against the Reds with a painful shoulder. The Pirates won 5–2 in 11 innings. In the1979 World Series, Candelaria had a rough Game 3, giving up five runs in 4 innings as the Pirates lost 8–4 to the Orioles. He redeemed himself in a crucial Game 6 by combining withKent Tekulve to pitch a 4–0 shutout.
Candelaria, who stood 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and wielded a mid- to upper-90s fastball with natural movement, remained an effective starter for the Pirates through the 1984 season. He suffered personal tragedy on Christmas morning 1984, when his 18-month-old son John Jr. fell into the family's swimming pool at their home inSarasota, Florida. John Jr. spent five weeks in intensive care and was then transitioned to home, where he received nursing care 24 hours per day. He was readmitted to the hospital multiple times and spent 11 months in a coma. John Jr. died in a Pittsburgh hospital on November 14, 1985.[4][5]
Candelaria was moved to the bullpen in 1985. In response to the change, Candelaria called general managerHarding Peterson "a bozo"; he said that the team's ownership valued its racehorses more than its baseball players.[6] He posted nine saves out of the Pittsburgh bullpen, which ended up being a team high on a 57-win team. He was traded along withGeorge Hendrick andAl Holland from the Pirates to theAngels forPat Clements andMike Brown on August 2 in a transaction that was completed two weeks later on August 16 whenBob Kipper was sent to Pittsburgh.[7][8] At the time, he was one of only two Pirates that remained from the 1979 championship team, the other being Don Robinson. The Angels immediately made him a starter again and he went 7–3 down the stretch in 1985 and helped the Angels into the1986 ALCS with a 10–2 record. Candelaria later said that the trade to a contending team had been a positive change for him.[6]
Candelaria andGeorge Hendrick once confronted their Angels teammateReggie Jackson about his bullying ofLisa Nehus Saxon. Saxon had been one of the first female reporters allowed in baseball locker rooms.[9]
In 1989, Yankee managerDallas Green looked to give Candelaria some extra rest at the start of the year, as the pitcher was recovering from a knee injury.[10]
Candelaria played for both New York teams (Mets and Yankees), both Los Angeles teams (Dodgers and Angels) and both Canadian teams (Blue Jays and Expos). He finished his career back where it started in Pittsburgh in 1993, making him the only Pirates player from the 1979 team to play for the Pirates during their twenty consecutive losing seasons. Candelaria is the only MLB pitcher to record a win in each of the four Canadian big-league ballparks (Jarry Park,Olympic Stadium,Exhibition Stadium, andSkyDome).
Tommy John remembered that Candelaria would throw strikes on 0-2 pitches, rather than wasting a pitch outside of the strike zone. "He gave up some 0-2 hits, but got more 0-2 outs, and saved his arm some pitches."[11]
· Baseball Almanac| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher August 9,1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | AL Comeback Player of the Year 1986 | Succeeded by |