Francisco Cordero

Francisco Cordero
Cordero with the Toronto Blue Jays
Pitcher
Born: (1975-05-11) May 11, 1975 (age 41) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 2, 1999, for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance
August 1, 2012, for the Houston Astros
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	47–53
Earned run average	3.38
Strikeouts	796
Saves	329
Teams
Detroit Tigers (1999) Texas Rangers (2000–2006) Milwaukee Brewers (2006–2007) Cincinnati Reds (2008–2011) Toronto Blue Jays (2012) Houston Astros (2012)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star (2004, 2007, 2009)

Francisco Javier Cordero (born May 11, 1975) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros from 1999 through 2012, often serving as the closer. On June 1, 2011, Cordero recorded his 300th career save with the Reds, becoming only the 22nd player to reach that mark. He completed his major league career with 329 saves and is a three-time MLB All-Star.

Cordero is frequently referred to by his nickname, CoCo, which is a combination of the last two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his last name. Cordero's arsenal featured a mid-90s fastball and wipe-out slider. He attended Colegio Luz Arroyo Hondo High School in the Dominican Republic.

Cordero made his first appearance in the Tigers organization with the Jamestown Jammers of the New York–Penn League in 1995, appearing in 19 games, making 18 starts, and pitching to a 4–10 win-loss record with a 5.42 earned run average (ERA) in 108 innings pitched. Cordero then finished the 1995 season with the Fayetteville Generals of South Atlantic League, going 0–3 with a 6.30 ERA in four starts.