| Pedro Ramos | |
|---|---|
 Ramos, circa 1964–66 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1935-04-28)April 28, 1935 (age 89) Pinar del Río,Cuba | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 11, 1955, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 25, 1970, for the Washington Senators | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 117–160 |
| Earned run average | 4.08 |
| Strikeouts | 1,305 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Pedro ("Pete") Ramos Guerra (born April 28, 1935) is a Cuban former professionalbaseballpitcher, who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theWashington Senators / Minnesota Twins,Cleveland Indians,New York Yankees, andthe expansion Washington Senators, all of theAmerican League (AL), and thePhiladelphia Phillies,Pittsburgh Pirates, andCincinnati Reds, all of theNational League (NL), over the course of a 15-year career (1955–1967;1969–1970). Ramos was elected to the ALAll-Star team in1959. He led the league in losses four times, in1958 (18), 1959 (19),1960 (18), and1961 (20). On April 11, 1961, the first game for the newly relocated Twins, Ramos was the winning pitcher, when the team defeated the Yankees, 6–0, atYankee Stadium.[1]
Ramos was born on April 28, 1935, inPinar del Rio, Cuba. He worked on his father’s tobacco farm as a teenager. He played Cuban amateur baseball as a teenager. At 17, he was signed by legendary scoutJoe Cambria to play for the Washington Senators.[2][3]
In 1953, at only 18 years old, Ramos pitched for theClass-DMorristown Red Sox of theMountain States League. He pitched in 33 games, starting five, with a 7–6 record and 6.26 earned run average (ERA).[4] He pitched only one more year in the American minor leagues before joining the Washington Senators in 1955.[5][6]
In 1955, Ramos began his major league career with the Senators, knowing no English, which he learned by watching cowboy movies.[7] He played on the team from 1955-1960, and moved with the team to Minnesota, when it became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. From 1955-59 the Senators never won more than 63 games in a season and finished in last place four times. They won only 73 games in 1960 (5th place) and 70 games in their first year as the Minnesota Twins (7th place).[8][9] Ramos started the Twins very first game, pitching a shutout win over the Yankees andWhitey Ford.[10]
In 1955, as a 20 year old who never played aboveClass-B baseball,[11] Ramos pitched in 45 games, starting nine. He finished the season with a 5–11 record, 3.88 ERA and five saves.[8] He had only one winning season with the lowly Senators and Twins over the next six years (12–10 in 1956), and led the American League in losses from 1958-1961, chiefly as a starting pitcher.[8] In 1956, he gave up one of the longest home runs ever hit, to future teammateMickey Mantle.[12] In 1960, his 3.45 ERA was 25th best in both leagues,[13] but his loss total (18) was tied for second worst in all of baseball among over 200 pitchers.[14] In 1961, his 3.95 ERA was 47th in both leagues,[15] but his loss total the worst in both leagues among over 200 pitchers.[16]
On April 2, 1962, the Twins traded Ramos to Cleveland Indians in exchange forVic Power andDick Stigman.[17] In his first year with Cleveland he had a 10–12 record with a 3.75 ERA. The team finished the year with an 80–82 record, in 6th place.[18] His ERA was 36th best in all of baseball, and his losses were tied for 34th worst in the major leagues among over 200 pitchers.[19] In 1963 for Cleveland, he had a 9–8 record, his first winning record since 1956, and a career-low 3.12 ERA as a starter.[8] Ramos played almost the entire 1964 season for Cleveland, starting 19 of 36 games in which he appeared, with 5.14 ERA and 7–10 record.[8] On September 5, 1964, Cleveland traded Ramos to the Yankees for $75,000 and two players to be named later (after the season, the Indians receivedRalph Terry andBud Daley).[17]
The Yankees traded for Ramos to improve their relief pitching staff during a tight pennant race.[20][21] A starter most of his career, Ramos became an unexpected sensation in September 1964 after 13 appearances for the Yankees, all in relief. Ramos saved eight games, won a game, and posted a 1.25 ERA as the Yankees barely held off theChicago White Sox andBaltimore Orioles down the pennant stretch. In 21 innings, Ramos struck out 21 batters and walked none.[8][22] Because the trade came after August 31, Ramos was not eligible to pitch in the World Series, which New York lost in seven games to theBob Gibson-ledSt. Louis Cardinals. His Yankee teammates still voted that he get one-half of a player's share of their World Series earnings.[23][24]
As a Senator, in his second big-league season, Ramos surrendered one of the more memorable home runs in the career of Yankees sluggerMickey Mantle. On May 30, 1956, Mantle tore into a Ramos pitch and nearly drove it out of Yankee Stadium, hitting the facade of the top deck in right field.[25] In their heyday, Ramos and Mantle were considered among the fastest runners in the major leagues. Mantle and Ramos raced with Ramos stumbling at the start, Mantle winning.[citation needed] The New York Times reported, however, that while Ramos repeatedly challenged Mantle to a footrace, Mantle declined, seeing no upside.[26]
As a hitter, Ramos was an occasional home run threat. He posted a .155batting average (109-for-703) with 76runs, hitting 15home runs with 56RBI. Defensively, he recorded a .977fielding percentage, which was 19 points higher than the league average at his position.[27][28]
Ramos also had a notable career pitching in theCuban Winter League.[3]
After retiring from baseball, Ramos served as a coach in Central and South America. He also manufactured his own brand of cigars. Ramos spent some time in prison.[26][29]