Fernando Pedro "Freddy" Rodríguez Borrego (April 29, 1924 – June 11, 2009) was a Cuban-born professional baseball pitcher who briefly played for the Chicago Cubs (1958) and Philadelphia Phillies (1959) of Major League Baseball. A native of Havana, he was listed as 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and 180 pounds (82 kg); he batted and threw right-handed.
Rodríguez' professional career extended for 18 seasons, 1945 through 1962, but he would appear in only eight major league games during those brief, late-1950s trials, when he was already in his mid-30s. Apart from the wartime 1945 campaign, his first 11 seasons in Organized Baseball all were spent in the lowest levels of the minor leagues of the day: Classes B, C and D. [1] Finally, in 1956, he rose to the Double-A and Triple-A levels.
In 1958, he was acquired by the Cubs and appeared in seven early-season games as a relief pitcher. He was credited with a save in his April 18 debut, hurling 11⁄3 innings of one-hit, scoreless ball against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. [2] He earned a second save nine days later when he preserved a 5–4 Cubs' triumph against the San Francisco Giants at Seals Stadium. [3] At that point, Rodríguez' earned run average was a respectable 3.18, but he was hit hard in his next three outings, and by the time he was demoted to the minors after May 18, his ERA was a poor 7.36 in 71⁄3 innings pitched. Obtained by the Phillies during the 1958–1959 offseason, he received only a one-game audition in June, when he allowed three earned runs in two innings pitched in middle relief against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field on May 27. [4] He then returned to the minor leagues for the next 31⁄2 seasons.
In his eight MLB games, Rodríguez allowed 12 hits (including three home runs) and five bases on balls in his career 91⁄3 innings pitched, with six strikeouts. Along with his two career saves, he compiled an ERA of 8.68. Fernando "Freddy" Rodríguez died in Miami, Florida, on June 11, 2009.
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References
- ↑ "Freddy Rodríguez Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. sports-reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Chicago Cubs 11, St. Louis Cardinals 6". Retrosheet.org. April 18, 1958. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Chicago Cubs 5, San Francisco Giants 4". Retrosheet.org. April 27, 1958. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Cincinnati Reds 10, Philadelphia Phillies 4". Retrosheet.org. May 27, 1959. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
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| Freddy Rodríguez | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born:April 29, 1924 Havana, Cuba | |
| Died: June 11, 2009 (aged 85) Miami, Florida | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1958, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 27, 1959, for the Philadelphia Phillies |