Porfi Altamirano

Porfirio Altamirano Ramírez (born May 17, 1952), nicknamed "El Guajiro" is a Nicaraguan former professional baseball right-handed middle relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (1982–83) and Chicago Cubs (1984). He was inducted into the Nicaraguan Sports Hall of Fame, on August 2, 1994.[1]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Altamirano and the second or maternal family name is Ramírez.
Porfi Altamirano
Pitcher
Born: (1952-05-17) May 17, 1952
Ciudad Darío, Nicaragua
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 9, 1982, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
June 8, 1984, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
Win–loss record7–4
Earned run average4.03
Strikeouts57
Teams

Born in Ciudad Darío, Nicaragua, Altamirano first became successful in his native country in the 1970s, when he pitched for the Estelí team in the Nicaraguan National League, breaking many records. Altamirano shut out the powerful Cuban national team in a tournament in Colombia, in 1976, beating them 5–0 and also shut out the USA team 4–0, in 1977, in a tournament played in Nicaragua; these considerable feats went a long way to his being recognized as one of Nicaragua's best amateur pitchers.[2]

Although not equipped with an overpowering arm, Altamirano had an 87–92 MPH fastball and mixed in a slider and an occasional curveball. He was an ideal reliever for a bullpen-by-committee because if his ability to pitch two or three innings at a time, setting the table for a variety of teammates, from Sparky Lyle to Tug McGraw to Lee Smith.

Altamirano made his major league debut on May 9, 1982, and played in 60 games over two seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was traded along with Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier from the Phillies to the Cubs for Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz on March 27, 1984.[3] After a 1984 campaign spent mostly with the Iowa Cubs where he went 4–4, he was dealt along with Henry Cotto, Ron Hassey and Rich Bordi from the Cubs to the New York Yankees for Ray Fontenot and Brian Dayett at the Winter Meetings on December 4.[4]

In his three-year MLB career, Altamirano compiled a 7–4 record with 57 strikeouts, a 4.03 earned run average (ERA), two saves, and 91+2⁄3 innings, in 65 games pitched.[5]

Altamirano also pitched as a closer in the Venezuelan professional league, in the mid-1980s for Aguilas de Zulia.

See also

References
  1. "Porfirio Altamirano Ramírez - Salón de la Fama Deporte Nicaragüense". salondelafama-nicaragua.com (in Spanish). Nicaraguan Sports Hall of Fame. August 2, 1994. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  2. "Sports Legends". laprensa.com (in Spanish). Managua, Nicaragua: La Prensa. January 19, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  3. "Phillies And Cubs In Trade," United Press International (UPI), Tuesday, March 27, 1984. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  4. Chass, Murray. "Yanks Send Fontenot to Cubs," The New York Times, Wednesday, December 5, 1984. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  5. "Porfi Altamirano Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
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