Emilio Cueche
| Emilio Cueche | |||
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| Pitcher / Outfielder | |||
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Born: October 20, 1927 Barcelona, Anzoátegui, Venezuela |
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Died: July 31, 2006 (aged 78) Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela |
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Venezuelan League
Dominican Republic League
International League
Mexican League
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Venezuelan League
Dominican Republic League
International League
Mexican League
Emilio Cueche [eh-mee'-leo / coo-eh'-chay] (October 20, 1927 – July 31, 2006) was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He was nicknamed ″Indio″.
Born in Barcelona, Anzoátegui, the righthander Cueche was one of the most dominant pitchers in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League during the decade of the 1950.
Actually, Cueche tried to starting out as a shortstop. Although Venezuela is renowned for producing noteworthy shortstops, he was not destined to be one of them. He was short, stocky, but uncommonly strong and well fit. At 5-foot-6 (1.68 m), 160 pounds (73 k), Cueche might not have had the physique of most of his contemporaries, though he relied on tenacity, savvy and hard-breaking pitches to establish himself as one of the most trustworthy pitchers of his era.
Besides a lively fastball, his repertoire included a slider, a knuckler, a changeup and a curve, being the latter one of his most effective pitches.
Through his brief career, Cueche set several records in the VPBL that still remain intact. Considered a workhorse who could pitch deep into games, he also was known as a slick-fielding pitcher and competent hitter as well. As a result, Cueche was often used in a pinch-hitting role, and also played in the outfield due to his defensive skills.
Apart from his 12-season stint in the Venezuela league, he made six Caribbean Series appearances and played nine full seasons in Minor League Baseball and the Dominican Republic and Mexico leagues during the same period.
Cueche made his professional debut during the winter of 1950–1951 with the Cervecería Caracas of the Venezuelan League. The Cervecería club was guided by experienced manager José Antonio Casanova, who used Cueche in a relatively low-pressure role as a middle reliever before giving him a spot in the starting rotation late in the season. The young pitcher responded with a 5-2 record and a 3.28 earned run average in 15 games. He completed three of his five starts, giving up 59 hits and 33 walks, while striking out 23 batters in 57⅔ innings pitched. He also collected 12 hits in 54 at bats for a .222 average in 28 games, which included two doubles, one home run, nine runs and six RBI. After the season, he earned Rookie of the Year honors.
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Wikipedia