Rubén Gómez

Rubén Gómez Colón (July 13, 1927 - July 26, 2004) was a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played for the New York and San Francisco Giants (1953-58), Philadelphia Phillies (1959-60, 1967), Cleveland Indians (1962) and Minnesota Twins (1962).

Gómez was born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico. Nicknamed in his homeland "El Divino Loco" (The Divine Nut), due to his courage to pitch in tough situations, he was the first man born in Puerto Rico to win a game in a World Series in 1954. Gómez finished the regular season with a 17-9 record for the Giants team that beat Cleveland in the Game 3 of the series. Later, on April 15, 1958, Gómez pitched an 8-0 shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first MLB game played on the West Coast at Seals Stadium.

Gomez created some controversy during his rookie season in 1953 when, on the order of Giants manager Leo Durocher, he hit Dodgers player Carl Furillo with a pitch. Gomez would hit other notables with pitches in his career including Joe Adcock and Frank Robinson.

Gómez pitched for the Giants from 1953 until 1958 when, that December, he was traded to the Phillies. He was out of the major leagues in 1961 and returned in 1962 to pitch for both Cleveland and Minnesota. In 1967, he was 39 years old and pitching for Veracruz of the Mexican League, when he got another shot in the major leagues with the Phillies.

In 10-season career, Gómez posted a 76-86 record with 677 strikeouts, 4.09 ERA, 63 complete games, 15 shutouts, and 1454 innings pitched in 289 games (205 as a starter). In the Puerto Rican Winter League, he set marks for a pitcher in wins (174) and ERA (2.97), playing for the Cangrejeros de Santurce and Vaqueros de Bayamón between 1947 and 1977.

Rubén Gómez died in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at 77 years of age.

Rubén Gómez

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