| Vicente Padilla | |
|---|---|
 Padilla with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1977-09-27)September 27, 1977 (age 48) Chinandega,Nicaragua | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: June 29, 1999, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| NPB: April 4, 2013, for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: October 2, 2012, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| NPB: August 9, 2013, for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 108–91 |
| Earned run average | 4.32 |
| Strikeouts | 1,121 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 3–6 |
| Earned run average | 3.84 |
| Strikeouts | 40 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Vicente de la Cruz Padilla (born September 27, 1977) is aNicaraguan former professionalbaseballpitcher. Padilla played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theArizona Diamondbacks,Philadelphia Phillies,Texas Rangers,Los Angeles Dodgers andBoston Red Sox and inNippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for theFukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Padilla pitched forNicaragua in the1998 Baseball World Cup, helping his team win the Bronze medal as thecloser. He also appeared in theCentral American Games the same year, as his team finished in second place.
After working with former MLB pitcherDennis Martínez to improve his change-up, Padilla was signed as an internationalfree agent by theArizona Diamondbacks on August 31, 1998. He debuted in theminor leagues in1999, playing for the Class-A AdvancedHigh Desert Mavericks and earning a promotion to theClass-AAATucson Sidewinders.
Padilla made his Major League debut on June 29 against theCincinnati Reds, pitching in the ninth inning and giving up four hits and three runs without recording an out, getting the loss and a blown save for the effort. Padilla appeared in four more games in 1999. He also appeared in 27 games in relief for the Diamondbacks in 2000, finishing 2–1 with a 2.31 ERA, with his first win coming on May 9 against theLos Angeles Dodgers.
On July 26,2000, Padilla was traded from the Diamondbacks to thePhiladelphia Phillies along with three other players (Travis Lee,Nelson Figueroa andOmar Daal) for pitcherCurt Schilling.
He was moved to the starting rotation in2002 and made his first start on April 3 against theAtlanta Braves, working six innings and picking up the win. He finished the season 14–11 with a 3.28 ERA in 32 starts and was selected to appear in theAll-Star Game.
He battled injuries during the2004 and2005 seasons, posting a combined win–loss record of 16–19.
After posting a 4.71 ERA and a 1.50WHIP during the 2005 season, Padilla was traded to theTexas Rangers forRicardo Rodríguez.
During the 2006 season, he also came under fire for his "lack of control" on the mound. Padilla caused a controversy inChicago when he twice hitWhite SoxcatcherA. J. Pierzynski, and later in the season again caused a benches-clearing brawl against theAngels when he repeatedly threw at Angels batters, showing particular interest in sluggerVladimir Guerrero. On September 16,2007, Padilla hitOakland AthleticsoutfielderNick Swisher after two pitches earlier in the plate appearances were inside that almost hit Swisher. Swisher then charged the mound starting a brawl and resulting in both players getting ejected. He also has history of hitting former teammateMark Teixeira on June 6, 2009.[citation needed]
In 2006, he andKevin Millwood won 15 games; a total not matched by a Rangers pitcher untilScott Feldman surpassed it in 2009.[1]
His 11 road victories in 2008 matched a club record set byRick Helling (1998), later surpassed by Scott Feldman (2009).[2][3][4]
On July 22, 2009, Padilla tested positive forswine flu, and was believed to be the first major U.S. athlete to catch the disease.[5]
On August 7, 2009, Padilla wasdesignated for assignment by the Rangers after going 8–6 with a 4.92 ERA in 18 starts. Ten days later Padilla was given his release. He was released because he was "regarded as a disruptive clubhouse presence."[6]
On August 19, 2009, Padilla signed a minor league contract with theLos Angeles Dodgers. He made one start with the AAAAlbuquerque Isotopes and then was activated on August 27 to start for the Dodgers against theColorado Rockies. He made seven starts for the Dodgers in August and September, finishing with a record of 4–0 and a 3.20 ERA.
On October 10, 2009, Padilla was the starting and winning pitcher in the clinching Game 3 of theNational League Division Series against theSt. Louis Cardinals, pitching seven scoreless innings. He also pitched well in Game 2 of theNLCS against thePhiladelphia Phillies, working7+1⁄3 innings and only allowing one run in a game the Dodgers eventually won. However, he picked up the loss, giving up six earned runs in three innings of work, in the deciding Game 5, allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to advance to theWorld Series for the second straight year.
On November 3, 2009, Padilla was injured when he was accidentally shot in the leg at a shooting range in Nicaragua. It was not a serious injury.[7]
On January 21, 2010, Padilla re-signed with the Dodgers, a one-year, $5.025 million deal, with $1 million of that in the form of a signing bonus.[8]
On March 25, 2010, the Dodgers announced that Padilla would be their opening day starter for the 2010 season.[9] Due to a number of recurring injuries, Padilla only was able to start 16 games for the Dodgers in 2010, finishing 6–5 with a 4.31 ERA. His best performance was a complete-game shutout against theSan Diego Padres on August 4. He made just three more starts after that before he was shut down for the season. After the season, Padilla re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, incentive-laden deal.[10]
He was injured in spring training in 2011 and began the season on the disabled list, rejoining the team on April 23 as a reliever. In his new role, he picked up his first save since 2000 in a 10-inning game against theFlorida Marlins on April 27. He became the Dodgers closer for a brief time afterJonathan Broxton was placed on the disabled list. However, he also wound up on the disabled list on May 14. He was first shut down with a forearm injury and later with neck problems, which required surgery.[11] He was unable to return to the Dodgers in 2011, appearing in only nine games, pitching8+2⁄3 innings with a 4.15 ERA and three saves. This was the fewest appearances for Padilla since his first season, and the first year he did not start any games since 2001 with the Phillies. He became a free agent following the season.
On January 16, 2012, Padilla signed a minor league deal with theBoston Red Sox that included an invitation to spring training.[12] He earned $1.5 million when he was promoted to major league level.[13] Padilla made the 25-man roster and pitched out of the bullpen. He became a free agent following the season.
On January 16, 2013, Padilla signed a one-year deal with theFukuoka SoftBank Hawks of theNippon Professional Baseball League.[14] He became a free agent following the season.
Padilla threw a wide variety of pitches during his career: afastball, acurveball, asinker, aslider, achangeup, and aneephus pitch.[15] The fastball was his main pitch; it reached speeds of 92–94 mph. However, he was also one of the few pitchers in baseball to throw aneephus pitch, a slow curve that travels about 55 mph.[16] Padilla tended to hit a lot of batters: his total of 106hit batters (HB) is 70th all-time,[17] and he led the American League in hit batters in 2006.[18]
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