Ricardo Rincón

Ricardo Rincón Espinoza (born April 13, 1970) is a Mexican former professional baseball relief pitcher.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rincón and the second or maternal family name is Espinoza.
Ricardo Rincón
Pitcher
Born: (1970-04-13) April 13, 1970
Cuitláhuac, Veracruz, Mexico
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 3, 1997, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 2008, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
Win–loss record21–24
Earned run average3.59
Strikeouts400
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Pitched a combined no-hitter on July 12, 1997

Career

Rincón was a left-handed specialist who spent nearly his entire career as a middle reliever and setup pitcher. In his 11-year career, Rincón never started a game and only accumulated 21 saves; he is generally credited with 109 holds. Rincón played for several teams in Mexico before being signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1997, breaking into the major leagues at the relatively advanced age of 27. On November 18, 1998 he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Brian Giles. He later pitched for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals.

Rincón played for his native Mexico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, appearing in four games.[1] Shortly after the Classic and five games into his Cardinal career, Rincón experienced shoulder pain and later underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff. He also had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, forcing him to miss the remainder of the 2006 season.[2] He played in the San Francisco Giants organization in 2007. On January 25, 2008, Rincón signed with the New York Mets. He was loaned to the Mexico City Red Devils for the 2008 season, and was returned on August 28 and assigned to Triple-A New Orleans. Rincón played for Mexico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and then for several teams in Mexico before retiring in 2012.

Rincón was part of a combined no-hitter on July 12, 1997. After Francisco Córdova threw nine innings of no-hit ball, Rincón relieved him and pitched a scoreless 10th. Teammate Mark Smith then hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th to give Rincón the win.[3] To date, it is the last no-hitter in Pirates history.

He throws a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, and two-seam fastball. He is currently married to his wife Jaqueline, they have two children, a daughter, Damaris, and a son, Ricardo, Jr.

He is a subject of the 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and the 2011 film based on the book.

Notes
  1. "World Baseball Classic statistics page". Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  2. "Rincon out for season with shoulder surgery". Associated Press. 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  3. "Box score". Retrosheet. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
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