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José Rijo

José Rijo
Pitcher
Born: (1965-05-13) May 13, 1965 (age 51)
San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 5, 1984, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
September 28, 2002, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Win–loss record 116–91
Earned run average 3.24
Strikeouts 1,606
Teams
Career highlights and awards

José Antonio Rijo Abreu (born May 13, 1965) is a Dominican former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent the majority of his career with the Cincinnati Reds (1988–1995 and 2001–2002).

Plagued by injuries during his career, he left the major leagues at age 30 before returning six years later for one and a half seasons. Rijo is perhaps best known for his performance in the 1990 World Series, when he recorded two victories in a four-game sweep over the defending champion Oakland A's, including a two-hitter in the final Game Four. Rijo's performance earned him the World Series MVP Award as the Reds won their first championship in fourteen years.

When Rijo broke into the majors with the New York Yankees in 1984, he was 18 years old and the youngest player in either league. The previous year, he'd had a 15–5 record in the Florida League with a 1.68 ERA. But he did not have a good rookie season, and some observers (notably ESPN) commented that Yankee owner George Steinbrenner had orchestrated the call-up, hoping to create a phenom along the lines of the crosstown Mets' 1984 rookie sensation Dwight Gooden. When this did not happen, Rijo was sent to the Oakland A's as part of a trade package for Rickey Henderson.

While with the Oakland Athletics, he struck out 16 Seattle Mariners on April 16, 1986, setting a club record. In his next start, he struck out 14 in a 2-hitter against the same Mariners organization, despite losing the game. But his time in Oakland was otherwise largely nondescript, with just 17 wins in three seasons. Even so, Rijo was still considered enough of a prospect for the Reds to acquire him in exchange for aging slugger Dave Parker, who'd had 338 runs batted in over the previous three seasons.


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Wikipedia

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