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Francisco Liriano Casillas (born October 26, 1983) is a Dominican former
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
(MLB) for the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
,
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
,
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
,
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
,
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...
, and
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
. Liriano was an
MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
in 2006, and is a two-time winner of the MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award.


Professional career


San Francisco Giants

Liriano signed with the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...
as an international
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...
in 2000. After the 2003 season, the Giants traded him to the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
, along with
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...
s Joe Nathan and
Boof Bonser John Paul "Boof" Bonser (born October 14, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Oakland Athletics. High school career Bonser attended Gib ...
, in exchange for
catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...
A. J. Pierzynski.


Minnesota Twins

Often compared to former teammate Johan Santana, another hard-throwing lefty, Liriano was touted as one of the "super-prospects" within the Twins organization. As a member of the
Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in downt ...
, Minnesota's Triple-A farm club, Liriano was awarded the 2005 International League Rookie of the Year. He led all minor league pitchers in
strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is den ...
s that year, with 204. He made his major league debut in relief on September 5, 2005, against the Texas Rangers. He later joined the Twins' starting rotation and won his first game on September 30, 2005, against the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
. Liriano started the 2006 season in Minnesota's
bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...
, but was promoted to the starting rotation in May, exchanging positions with struggling starter Carlos Silva. He won each of his first three starts.


2006

Liriano made a 12–3 start to the 2006 season and won the American League Rookie of the Month awards for June and July. He was named by
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...
manager
Ozzie Guillén Oswaldo José Guillén Barrios (; born January 20, 1964) is a former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for 16 seasons, primarily with the Chicago White Sox, from 1985 to 2000. During tha ...
as one of five candidates for the 2006 All-Star Final Vote and finished second to the player he was traded for, A. J. Pierzynski. Guillén selected Liriano for his first All-Star game to replace fatigued starting pitcher
José Contreras José Ariel Contreras Camejo (born December 6, 1971), is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in the Cuban National Series (CNS), Major League Baseball (MLB), and internationally for the Cuban national baseball team. Cont ...
. Liriano led the Major Leagues with a 2.19 ERA, statistics putting him in discussion for both the American League
Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered th ...
and Rookie of the Year awards, but a trip to the disabled list on August 11 left him with too few innings to qualify as the league's official ERA leader and jeopardized his chances at any such awards in 2006. On August 1, 2006, Liriano was scratched from his scheduled August 2 start because of forearm inflammation after a bullpen session. He missed one start before resuming bullpen work without pain, but was placed on the disabled list after continued arm pain during his last start on August 7, 2006. Liriano began a rehabilitation program on August 22, and threw off a mound for the first time on August 30, throwing only his fastball and changeup, and said that he would like to pitch his breaking ball later that week. He made a rehab start for the
Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in downt ...
on September 9, throwing 40 pitches for four strikeouts and one walk in three shutout, hitless innings. After the game, he reported feeling no pain in his elbow and was reactivated by the Twins. On November 6, 2006, Liriano underwent
Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...
to curtail the pain in his left elbow. He missed the entire 2007 season.


2008

On April 11, 2008, he was recalled from Triple-A Rochester in the place of injured pitcher Kevin Slowey. Liriano made his season debut and his first game since Tommy John surgery on April 13, against the Royals. He pitched 4.2 innings giving up six hits, four earned runs and walking five while picking up a loss. On April 25, Liriano was sent back to the minors after a rough start to the season coming off Tommy John surgery. In three starts, he compiled an 0–3 record with an 11.32 ERA. After recording an ERA of 2.67 and going 10–0 in his 11 most recent minor league starts, the Twins recalled Liriano on August 1, from Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, replacing Liván Hernández in the rotation. Hernandez was designated for assignment. In his first start after being recalled, Liriano pitched six scoreless innings and struck out five, recording the win. He then went 3–0 in his first three starts with a 1.45 ERA and 15 strikeouts in innings.


2009

Liriano posted a less than stellar 5–13 record in 2009, with a combined ERA of 5.80. However, this was his first year since his Tommy John surgery that he had spent that entire year on the Twins major league roster. On June 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals, he threw seven strong innings, only surrendering two runs. On August 12 vs Kansas City, Liriano went another seven innings, only allowing one Royals player to score a run in yet another strong outing. Between those strong flashes of brilliance though, he logged several sub-par showings, frequently giving up several runs during short times on the mound.


2010

During the 2009 offseason, Liriano returned to his native
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
to play winter baseball, playing for Leones del Escogido. He helped his club earn a postseason berth and then went 3–1 with a 0.49 ERA in seven playoff starts, while recording 47 strikeouts and five walks in 37 innings, as Leones del Escogido won the league championship. Liriano reported to spring training lighter than usual, and Twins coaches expressed guarded optimism that he had regained some of his 2006 form. The Twins considered using him as a closer to replace the injured Joe Nathan, but instead he was named to the starting rotation. Liriano got off to a fast start. In his first four 2010 starts for the Twins, he posted a 3–0 W-L record, 0.93 ERA with 27 strikeouts. On May 3, he was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April, after posting a 3–0 record and leading the league with a 0.96 ERA. Through May 18, he had posted a 4–2 record and a 2.63 ERA in seven starts, striking out 46 in 48 innings and not giving up a single home run. He struggled from mid-May until the All-Star break, losing five of seven decisions. But after the break, he returned to his early season form. Over an eleven start stretch from July 16 (his first game after the All-Star break) to September 14, Liriano posted an 8–0 record to go along with a 2.41 ERA. Across this span, he limited hitters to a .227 batting average, struck out 72 in 71 innings against 25 walks, and gave up only two home runs. Liriano struggled in his final three starts of the season, however, losing all three outings and posting an ERA of 8.10. Liriano finished 2010 fifth in the AL in
strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is den ...
s with 201, while walking 58. He posted a 14–10 record for the year with a 3.62 ERA and a career-high
innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...
across 31 starts, 20 of which were quality. He was considered a Cy Young candidate by some writers, as his 2.66 FIP (a defense independent pitching statistic) was second only to Cliff Lee in the American League, and his 2.95 xFIP was first in the American League. Despite his ERA only ranking 14th in the league, Liriano posted an extremely low FIP primarily due to his ability to limit home runs. Liriano only allowed nine across the entire regular season (three of which came in his final start) and his HR/9 rate of 0.42 led the American League (which was also the lowest rate posted by a Twins starter in over 20 years). He was further benefited by his high strikeout totals, as his K/9 ratio of 9.44 ranked second in the AL behind
Jon Lester Jonathan Tyler Lester (born January 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals. L ...
and he was one of only five AL pitchers that year with at least 200 strikeouts. Liriano started Game 1 of the
2010 American League Division Series The 2010 American League Division Series (ALDS) were two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2010 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth "Wild Card" team (the team with the ...
for the Twins. He received a no-decision, pitching innings, while giving up 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7, and allowing 4 runs, all earned. The Twins lost Game 1 to the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...
, 6–4, and were swept 3 games to none in the series, marking the end of Liriano's season. Liriano finished tied for eleventh in the voting for the American League
Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Ha ...
alongside Justin Verlander, receiving one fifth-place vote. He also signed a 1-year contract after the season.


2011

Liriano struggled through his first several starts of 2011, giving up 24 earned runs in 23.2 innings through the Month of April. During this period of 5 starts, he only entered the 7th inning once. He met with his pitching coach and manager after these starts and was in danger of losing his spot in the starting rotation. His fortunes changed significantly in his next start. On May 3, Liriano pitched his first career
complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
, a 1–0
no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
against the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
at U.S. Cellular Field. The no-hitter featured 6 walks, a high (although not record-high) number for a no-hit game. He struck out 2 of the 30 batters he faced and threw 123 pitches, 66 of which were strikes. It was the first no-hitter for the Twins organization since Eric Milton accomplished the feat on September 11, 1999, against the
Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
, and the seventh official no-hitter for the franchise. After the no-hitter, Liriano made several strong appearances, including an exceptional start on June 12 against the Texas Rangers. He retired the first 19 batters in order and didn't give up a hit until the 8th inning. Liriano's performance faded later in 2011. After an exceptional outing against the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...
, he left his next start on August 25 after just two innings. He made his way to the disabled list with shoulder strain and did not start another game for the rest of the year. He finished the season with a record of 9–10 and an ERA of 5.09.


2012

Liriano pitched a four-strikeout inning in the fourth inning of the Twins' game against the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
on June 5, 2012. On July 13, he struck out 15 batters in a loss to the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...
, topping his career high of 12 strikeouts. He caused 27 swing and misses, the highest number since 2007. In 22 games (17 starts) with the Twins in 2012 before he was traded, Liriano went 3–10 with a 5.31 ERA and 109 strikeouts.


Chicago White Sox

On July 28, 2012, Liriano was traded to the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
in exchange for Eduardo Escobar and Pedro Hernández. As Liriano struggled with the command of his pitches, the White Sox removed him from the rotation in September. In 12 games (11 starts) with the White Sox, he went 3–2 with a 5.40 ERA.


Pittsburgh Pirates


2013

Liriano agreed to a two-year contract with the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
on December 21, 2012. The contract was voided shortly after as he suffered an injury to his non-throwing arm and failed his physical, having broken his non-throwing arm while he tried to scare his kids at Christmas. A new two-year deal was reached between the Pirates and Liriano and became official on February 8, 2013. He started the 2013 season on the Pirates's 15-day
disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
. He made his debut on May 11 against the New York Mets. Liriano's improved command by changing his pitching mechanics led to a career rebirth with Pittsburgh. He finished his 2013 campaign with a record of 16–8, an ERA of 3.02, and 163 strikeouts. In the Pirates' first playoff game in 21 years, Liriano gave up one run and four hits in 7.0 innings while earning the win as the Pirates defeated the Reds 6–2 in the NL Wild Card game. He thus became the first Pirates pitcher to win a postseason game since Tim Wakefield in 1992, as well as the first pitcher to win a
postseason The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
game at
PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...
. Liriano was named the 2013 NL Comeback Player of the Year for his bounce back year.


2014

Liriano struggled greatly in the first half of the season, going 1–7 with a 4.72 ERA in 15 starts at the All Star break. However, he reclaimed his dominance of 2013 in the second half of the season, going 6–3 with a 2.20 ERA in 14 starts to end the season. Overall, Liriano posted another strong season in 2014, going 7–10 with a 3.38 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 29 starts. On December 9, 2014, he re-signed with the Pirates on a 3-year, $39MM contract.


2015

Liriano continued his success from his previous seasons, striking out a career-high 205 and going 12–7 for the Pirates. He led major league pitchers in lowest contact percentage (67.5%). He also had the lowest zone percentage of all major league pitchers, with only 35.8% of his pitches being in the
strike zone In baseball, the strike zone is the volume of space through which a pitch must pass in order to be called a strike even if the batter does not swing. The strike zone is defined as the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's k ...
.


2016

Liriano was named Opening Day starter for the Pirates for the third successive year. However, he struggled throughout the season with bouts of wildness. In 21 starts with the Pirates, he pitched to a 6–11 record, 5.46 ERA, 116 strikeouts and 69 walks through 113 innings.


Toronto Blue Jays

On August 1, 2016, the Pirates traded Liriano along with Reese McGuire and Harold Ramírez to the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
for Drew Hutchison. While it was initially believed that Liriano would replace Aaron Sanchez in the rotation due to the organization's desire to limit Sanchez's workload, general manager Ross Atkins announced on August 4 that the Blue Jays would use a six-man rotation going forward. Liriano made his debut with the Blue Jays on August 5, pitching six innings against the Kansas City Royals and yielding two earned runs in a 4–3 win. He made eight starts and two relief appearances with the Blue Jays in the regular season, and posted a 2–2 record, 2.92 ERA, and 52 strikeouts in 49 innings. In 2016 between the two teams he had the highest rate of
bases on balls per 9 innings pitched In baseball statistics, bases on balls per nine innings pitched (BB/9IP or BB/9) or walks per nine innings (denoted by W/9) is the average number of bases on balls, (or walks) given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by m ...
in the majors (4.69). In the
Wild Card game The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was first instituted in 2012; best-of-three ...
, Liriano entered in relief in the 10th inning and retired all 5 of the batters he faced. He took the win after
Edwin Encarnación Edwin Elpidio Encarnación (born January 7, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter, third baseman and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Clevela ...
's walk-off home run in the eleventh inning. During the eighth inning in the second game of the
ALDS In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...
, Rangers outfielder
Carlos Gómez Carlos Argelis Gómez Peña, nicknamed Go-Go, (born December 4, 1985) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays ...
hit a 102- mph line drive single that struck Liriano near the back of the head. He was taken to a local hospital for examination, and cleared to return to Toronto with his teammates. On June 25, 2017, Liriano earned the 100th win of his career in an 8–2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.


Houston Astros

On July 31, 2017, the Blue Jays traded Liriano to the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...
for Nori Aoki and
Teoscar Hernández Teoscar José Hernández (born October 15, 1992) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays. Hernández was ...
. Liriano was moved from the rotation to the bullpen following his acquisition. He made 20 appearances out of the bullpen and finished with an 0–2 record with a 4.40 ERA. Overall in 2017, Liriano made 38 appearances (18 starts) with a 6–7 record and a 5.66 ERA. The Astros finished the year with a 101–61 record (first in AL West), and eventually won the
2017 World Series The 2017 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 season. The 113th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers and th ...
.


Detroit Tigers

On February 23, 2018, Liriano signed a one-year contract with the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
. He earned a spot in the Tigers starting rotation, and won his Tiger debut in a 6–1 decision over the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
on April 2. Liriano was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a hamstring strain following a May 26 start against the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
. He was recalled on June 23 and made a start against the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...
. On August 30, 2018, Liriano gave up Giancarlo Stanton's 300th home run. Liriano made 26 starts for the 2018 Tigers, compiling a 5–12 record, 4.58 ERA, and 110 strikeouts in innings.


Return to Pittsburgh

On February 4, 2019, Liriano agreed to a one-year minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. On March 23, 2019, the Pirates announced that Liriano had made the opening day roster. He was used exclusively as a relief pitcher during the season, posting a 5–3 record with a 3.47 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 70 innings.


Later career

On January 22, 2020, Liriano signed a minor league deal with the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
. He was released on July 18, and on August 2, Liriano opted out of the 2020 season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, although he had "multiple guaranteed offers" on the table. On February 2, 2021, Liriano signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, and was invited to spring training. On March 29, 2021, Liriano was released by the Blue Jays after triggering his opt-out clause. On January 17, 2022, Liriano announced his retirement.


Pitching style

As of 2012, Liriano is a four-pitch pitcher. To left-handed hitters he throws a
four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...
, a two-seam fastball (both averaging about 93 mph), and a slider (mid 80s). Against right-handers, he adds a mid-80s
changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...
. More than half of his pitches with 2 strikes are sliders, perhaps due to the relatively high whiff rate – 43% over his career. He has one of the league's highest whiff rates on a slider with 2 strikes. Liriano has been a strikeout pitcher throughout his career, averaging better than one strikeout per inning through the end of the 2019 season.


Personal life

Liriano's arrival in the United States for 2008
spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...
was delayed due to visa problems caused by a prior
drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is i ...
arrest in 2006. Francisco and Johanna Liriano became parents to Kevin Liriano on April 4, 2008. Liriano is the first cousin of pitcher
Santiago Casilla Santiago Casilla (born July 25, 1980) is a Dominican former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2018 for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. Casilla threw four pitches: a fastb ...
.


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball no-hitters Below is a list of Major League Baseball no-hitters, enumerating every no-hitter pitched in Major League Baseball history. In addition, all no-hitters that were broken up in extra innings or were in shortened games are listed, although they are no ...
* List of Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic * List of Major League Baseball single-inning strikeout leaders * List of Minnesota Twins no-hitters * List of Pittsburgh Pirates award winners and league leaders *
Minnesota Twins award winners and league leaders This is a list of award winners and league leaders for the Minnesota Twins professional baseball team. Award winners Most Valuable Player (AL) * – Walter Johnson *1924 – Walter Johnson *1925 – Roger Peckinpaugh *1965 – Zoilo Versalle ...


References


External links

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