| Jesse Orosco | |
|---|---|
 Orosco with the New York Mets in 1986 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1957-04-21)April 21, 1957 (age 67) Santa Barbara, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 5, 1979, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 2003, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games pitched | 1,252 |
| Win–loss record | 87–80 |
| Earned run average | 3.16 |
| Strikeouts | 1,179 |
| Saves | 144 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Jesse Russell Orosco (born April 21, 1957) is an American former professionalbaseballrelief pitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball from 1979 to 2003 for theNew York Mets,Los Angeles Dodgers,Cleveland Indians,Milwaukee Brewers,Baltimore Orioles,St. Louis Cardinals,San Diego Padres,New York Yankees andMinnesota Twins.
Orosco was named to theMLB All-Star Game in 1983 and 1984. Orosco won aWorld Series in1986 with the Mets and in1988 with the Dodgers. He retired when he was 46 years old, one of the oldest players to still be playing in the modern age. Orosco is one of only 31 players in baseball history to date to haveappeared in Major League games in four decades.
Orosco holds the major league record for career pitching appearances, having pitched in 1,252 games.[1] His longevity was aided by the increasing use ofleft-handed specialistrelief pitchers from the 1990s onward; in his last several years, he was used almost exclusively in this role.
Orosco was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the1977 Major League Baseball draft but chose not to sign.[2] He was then drafted out ofSanta Barbara City College by the Minnesota Twins in the1978 Major League Baseball draft. In February1979, the Twins traded Orosco to the New York Mets tocomplete a deal that had sent veteran starterJerry Koosman to Minnesota two months earlier.[3]
Orosco made his debut on April 5, 1979, with the Mets. Orosco had his best seasons in the early and mid-1980s with the Mets. He had a career-best 1.47earned run average in 1983. That year, he also won 13 games andsaved 17, with 110 innings pitched, making his firstAll-Star Team and finishing third in theNational LeagueCy Young Award voting. He had 31 saves in 1984, which was third in theNational League, and went 10–6 in 60 appearances, good enough for his second All-Star selection. In 1985, he began sharing closing duties for the Mets with right-handerRoger McDowell, giving the Mets a vaunted lefty–righty combo coming out of the bullpen to close games.[citation needed]
In 1983, Orosco became just the third and, to date, the last Mets pitcher to record two wins in the same day. This feat had been accomplished byCraig Anderson in 1962 andWillard Hunter in 1964. On July 31, 1983, Banner Day, the Mets won both games of a double-header against thePirates in extra-inningwalk-off wins. Orosco pitched the last four innings of the first game and the final inning of the second game, and both times was the pitcher of record when the Mets rallied to win.[4]
Orosco's clutch relief pitching in the1986 postseason was one of the key reasons the Mets won the World Series. He was on the mound for the final pitch of the final game of both theNLCS against theHouston Astros, and theWorld Series against theBoston Red Sox, striking out the final batter in both series. He became the first (and only) relief pitcher to get three wins in one playoff series, which he accomplished in the NLCS against the Astros.
At his peak, Orosco was virtually unhittable against left-handed batters.Rob Neyer later wrote that Orosco stayed in the majors for almost a quarter-century because of "his ability to make lefties look foolish."[5]
After the 1987 season, the Mets sent Orosco to theLos Angeles Dodgers in a three-team trade in which the Dodgers sentBob Welch andMatt Young to theOakland Athletics andJack Savage to the Mets, the Athletics sentAlfredo Griffin andJay Howell to the Dodgers, and the Athletics sentKevin Tapani andWally Whitehurst to the Mets.[6] Orosco was a member of the1988 World Series champions. He then signed with theCleveland Indians and stayed there for three years.
Orosco played for the Orioles for the latter half of the 1990s. While his best seasons came in New York, he had an excellent 1997 season, finishing with a 2.32 ERA, his best since the 1980s. On June 25, 1999, Orosco set the all-time record for major league relief appearance with 1,051, passingKent Tekulve.[7]
After the 1999 season, the Orioles traded Orosco to the Mets forChuck McElroy.[8] Before the 2000 season began, the Mets traded him to theSt. Louis Cardinals forJoe McEwing.[9] Granted free agency after the 2000 season, Orosco signed with the Dodgers for the 2001 season and again for the 2002 season. He signed with theSan Diego Padres for the 2003 season.[10]
In 2003, Orosco was on three different teams and finished with 33 innings pitched. On July 23, the Padres traded Orosco to theNew York Yankees for a player to be named later.[11] At the end of August, the Yankees traded him to the Twins for a player to be named later, later identified asJuan Padilla.[12] Orosco played his last game on September 27 with the Twins. He signed with theArizona Diamondbacks for the 2004 season, but decided to retire before spring training.[13]
Orosco was eligible for theBaseball Hall of Fame in 2009; however, his lifetime stats made him a longshot for the Hall and he dropped off the ballot after receiving one vote.[14] He was the last active MLB player from the 1970s, outlastingRickey Henderson (the last active position player).[15] As of 2023[update], Orosco is the only player in Major League history with more than 1,200 games pitched or more than 1,000inherited runners.[16][17]
| Preceded by | Oldest Player in the National League 2000–2003 | Succeeded by |
