José Ariel Contreras Camejo (born December 6, 1971), is a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

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 professional ...

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 draw ...

, who played in the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...

(CNS),

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 (AL), ...

(MLB), and internationally for the

Cuban national baseball team The Cuba national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Cuba'') represents Cuba at regional and international levels. The team is made up from the most professional players from the Cuban national baseball system. Cuba has been des ...

. Contreras played for Pinar del Río Vegueros of the CNS, and competed for the Cuban national team in the Summer Olympics, the Pan American Games, the

Baseball World Cup The Baseball World Cup was an international tournament where national baseball teams from around the world competed. It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Along with the World Baseball Classic, it was one of two acti ...

, and the 1999 exhibition series against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. Recognized as the best Cuban baseball player, Contreras defected from Cuba in 2002. Contreras signed with 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 of ...

of MLB after defecting, and played for them in and . He also played in MLB for 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 ...

(2004–), Colorado Rockies (2009), Philadelphia Phillies (–), and Pittsburgh Pirates ().

Cuban career

In addition to his time with the Cuban national team, Contreras pitched for the Pinar del Río Vegueros of Cuba's

. In his last season in Cuba (2001–2002), he went 13–4 with a 1.76 ERA and 149 strikeouts. Contreras was named Cuban Athlete of the Year on three separate occasions. In March 1999, Contreras pitched for the

against the

in an exhibition series at

Estadio Latinoamericano The Estadio Latinoamericano ( Spanish for ''Latin American Stadium'') is a stadium in Havana, Cuba. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the second largest baseball stadium in the world by capacity. Gran Estadio, a spacious pitchers' park ...

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. Contreras pitched eight shutout innings and

struck out 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 denote ...

ten. It was then that Major League scouts took notice of the Cuban pitcher.

Major League Baseball career

New York Yankees

Contreras defected from Cuba in October 2002 while pitching for the Cuban national team during the Americas Series in

Saltillo Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and highwa ...

, Coahuila,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, leading the Yankees to sign him to a four-year, $32 million deal on December 26, 2002. Contreras went 7–2 and posted a 3.30 ERA in 18 games (nine starts), but he spent two months on the disabled list with a subscapularis strain, had four stops in the minor leagues, and was in and out of the bullpen. As a starter, Contreras was 6–1 with a 2.34 ERA. Out of the bullpen, he was 1–1 with a 7.43 ERA. His best game occurred on September 23 at U.S. Cellular Field, in which he shut out the White Sox for eight innings while striking out nine. Contreras appeared in eight postseason games, pitching 11 innings total, with a 5.73 ERA striking out 17. The Yankees inserted Contreras into the starting rotation from the start of the 2004 camp, but he was inconsistent. Contreras was optioned to the minor leagues for approximately a month (May 5 through May 21). His best start occurred on June 27, against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. He struck out ten batters, but what was more important to him is that for the first time since being in Cuba, Contreras got to pitch in front of his ex-wife, Miriam and daughters, Naylan and Naylenis.

Chicago White Sox

On July 31, 2004, Contreras was traded to the White Sox for pitcher Esteban Loaiza. Contreras pitched inconsistently for the White Sox, up until the end of the season. On the last day of the season, he threw eight innings of two-hit baseball against the Kansas City Royals, earning his 13th win of the season. He finished with a 13–9 record, a 5.50 ERA, and 150 strikeouts in 170 innings between New York and Chicago. The 2005 season began with mixed results for Contreras. Contreras started the season with five consecutive no-decisions and an ERA of 3.04, but pitched poorly after that until the All-Star break, with a 4–3 record. The first game after the break (July 14), Contreras pitched extremely well, beating the Indians 1–0. Jose Contreras pitching

As the White Sox raced to the playoffs in the second half of the 2005 season, Contreras became Chicago's most reliable pitcher, winning his last eight starts and on occasion halting the team's losing streaks. One of the main reasons was the way he pitched. With the help of fellow Cuban

Orlando Hernández Orlando Hernández Pedroso (born October 11, 1965), nicknamed "El Duque" (Spanish for "The Duke"), is a Cuban-born right-handed former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Industriales of the Cuban National Series, the New York Ya ...

, Contreras began dropping his arm angle during his delivery. Contreras also contributed the three postseason victories that tied

Andy Pettitte Andrew Eugene Pettitte (; born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the Houston Astros. Pettitte won fiv ...

for the most second half victories in the Major Leagues with 11, and he threw his first Major League complete game against the Minnesota Twins, on September 23. Contreras finished the season 15–7 with a 3.61 ERA in 32 starts, along with 154 strikeouts in 204 innings. AAAA4577 José Contreras

Contreras started Game 1 of every series during the playoffs, winning two out of his three Game 1 starts. The one he lost was to the

Los Angeles 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 ...

, which allowed Contreras to earn the win in the pennant clinching Game 5, the fourth consecutive complete game for White Sox starting pitching. Contreras went 3–1 with a 3.09 ERA, 14 strikeouts, and only two walks in four starts during the postseason. During Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, television commentators said that Contreras, who started the game for the White Sox, had his name banned from being mentioned in Cuba by order of President Fidel Castro. White Sox games were also banned from Cuban television and could be seen only with illegal television satellites. The White Sox went on to win the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

in four games, sweeping the Houston Astros. The 2006 season began with Contreras inking a three-year, $29 million contract extension to remain on the South Side. Contreras started the season as well as he had finished the previous one. As of July 6, 2006, he was 9–0, with a 3.31 ERA and 71 strikeouts. On June 23, in a 7–4 win over the Astros, Contreras pitched 6.1 innings and allowed four earned runs to earn the win, breaking the White Sox team record with his 16th consecutive regular-season win, previously held by

LaMarr Hoyt Dewey LaMarr Hoyt Jr. (January 1, 1955 – November 29, 2021) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres from 1979 to 1986. He won the 1983 Americ ...

(1983–84) and

Wilson Álvarez Wilson Eduardo Álvarez Fuenmayor (born March 24, 1970) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher. During a thirteen-year baseball career, he pitched for the Texas Rangers, ...

(1993–94). Dating back to the 2005 season, Contreras won 17 consecutive games before finally taking the loss against his former team, the

on July 14, 2006. Contreras was named by his White Sox 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 ...

to the 2006 American League All-Star team, but was unable to play because he had thrown six innings and 117 pitches in a start just two days before the All-Star game. Guillen, the AL manager, replaced him with Minnesota Twins rookie Francisco Liriano. This enabled Contreras to become the first pitcher in 30 years to start two consecutive regularly scheduled games. Contreras suffered setback as a case of

sciatica Sciatica is pain going down the leg from the lower back. This pain may go down the back, outside, or front of the leg. Onset is often sudden following activities like heavy lifting, though gradual onset may also occur. The pain is often described ...

put him on the 15-day DL in May. Along with seeing his personal winning streak come to an end, Contreras finished the season with 13–7 with a 4.27 ERA in 30 starts, including a 5.40 ERA after the All-Star break. Contreras struggled mightily in the 2007 campaign along with the disappointing White Sox team who finished fourth place in the American League Central Division. He posted a 10–17 record with a 5.57 ERA in 32 games (30 starts). One positive note for Contreras were the career-high two shutouts recorded on May 10 against the Minnesota Twins and on September 19 against the Kansas City Royals. Contreras ruptured his

Achilles Tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...

on August 9, 2008 while attempting to field a ground ball against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

. The White Sox placed him on the 15-day disabled list, and Contreras ended up missing the rest of the season. After an 0–5 start to the season, Contreras was sent to bullpen status on May 9, 2009. On May 10, 2009, he was sent to the minors. On May 12, 2009, Contreras cleared waivers and was optioned to Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

. On June 8, 2009, Contreras was called up after the first game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers to start the second game. Coincidentally,

Jeremy Bonderman Jeremy Allen Bonderman (born October 28, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Bonderman batted and threw right-handed. High school Bonderman attended Pasco High School in Pasco, Washington. In his last year of high school ...

was also called up after the first game to face Contreras. Contreras threw an outstanding eight innings and only gave up one hit and one walk, with three strikeouts, resulting in his first win. In his second start after a brief stint in the minors Contreras was equally, if not more, dominant than his last appearance. Notching his second consecutive victory, he threw eight innings of shutout baseball once again, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Colorado Rockies

On August 31, 2009, Contreras was traded to the Colorado Rockies with cash for minor league pitcher Brandon Hynick.

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 28, 2010, Contreras signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He pitched out of the bullpen rather than being a starter as he had for much of his career. He recorded his first career save on May 15 against the Milwaukee Brewers after taking over the closer's role from the injured

Brad Lidge Bradley Thomas Lidge (born December 23, 1976) nicknamed "Lights Out" is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Lidge played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 2002–2012. He played for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phi ...

. After the 2010 season, Contreras signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract with an option for 2013 to remain with the Phillies. On October 29, 2012, the Phillies declined his 2013 option and he became a free agent. He went 1–0 with a 5.27 ERA with 13.2 innings pitched in 17 games after spending most of the season on the disabled list.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On February 23, 2013, Contreras signed a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. He was released on June 13, 2013. Contreras was re-signed on June 17, 2013, but was later released again on July 18, 2013.

Boston Red Sox

On July 19, 2013, the

signed Contreras to a minor league contract.

Texas Rangers

Contreras signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on December 5, 2013. The team granted the pitcher his release on March 22, 2014 when the club informed Contreras that he would not make the Opening Day roster.

Toros de Tijuana

Contreras joined

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The fran ...

on March 20, 2014 and played for the Toros during the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and 2015 Mexican League seasons.

China Trust Brothers

Contreras debuted for the China Trust Brothers on July 5, 2015 and won the MVP of July 2015. He only made seven starts with the Brothers and was 4–1 with a 3.45 ERA. He last pitched on August 30, 2015 and was assigned to be a visiting pitching coach the next day in order to make room for Víctor Gárate to meet the limit for foreign pitchers on the team. Having the desire to pitch, he declined the offer to be a pitching coach for the next year.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On March 28, 2016, Contreras signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Quintana Roo Tigers (), formerly known as the Mexico (City) Tigers () are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve champio ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five t ...

References

External links

José Contreras
at CPBL (Taiwan) *José Contreras (Cuban-Play) : {{DEFAULTSORT:Contreras, Jose 1971 births Living people Altoona Curve players American League All-Stars Bradenton Marauders players Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players CTBC Brothers players Clearwater Threshers players Colorado Rockies players Columbus Clippers players Competitors at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games Defecting Cuban baseball players Baseball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Baseball players at the 1999 Pan American Games Baseball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Indianapolis Indians players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Mexican League baseball pitchers New York Yankees players Olympic baseball players of Cuba Olympic gold medalists for Cuba Olympic medalists in baseball Olympic silver medalists for Cuba Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Sandino, Cuba Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Reading Phillies players Staten Island Yankees players Tampa Yankees players Tigres de Quintana Roo players Tigres del Licey players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Toros de Tijuana players Trenton Thunder players Vegueros de Pinar del Rio players Venados de Mazatlán players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Cuban expatriate baseball players in Taiwan