Carlos Antonio Diaz (January 7, 1958 – September 28, 2015) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

. He played for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Early life and career

Born in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Diaz attended James B. Castle High School and was the thirteenth native Hawaiian to have played in the major leagues. He was originally drafted out of

Allan Hancock College Allan Hancock College is a public community college in Santa Maria, California. It offers associate degrees at its Lompoc Valley campus and at nearby Vandenberg Space Force Base. The college is part of the California Community College System ...

in Santa Maria,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

by the

in the third round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign.

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then drafted him again in the first round of the June secondary phase of the draft, and were able to sign him. After two seasons in the Mariners' organization, Diaz was traded to the

for Jeff Burroughs. Despite a career earned run average of 4.22 in the M's farm system, in , he managed to bring that down to a far more respectable 2.81 his first season with the Richmond Braves. He earned a call to the major leagues the following season, and made his major league debut on June 30, against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

. With the Braves trailing 3–1, Diaz entered the game in relief of

Phil Niekro Philip Henry Niekro ( ; April 1, 1939 – December 26, 2020), nicknamed "Knucksie", was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, N ...

in the ninth inning. Diaz gave up one earned run to increase the Astros' lead to 4–1. The Braves, who won the

National League West The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created for the 1969 season when the National League (baseball), National League (NL) expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montr ...

that season, came back to score four runs in the bottom of the inning to give Diaz his first career win. Diaz went 3–2 with a 4.03 ERA for the Braves in 1982. One of those three wins came against the

, the team that subsequently acquired him, on September 10, for Tom Hausman. Diaz had a career year in , his only full season with the Mets. He pitched in a career high 54 games, and had a 3–1 record with two saves and a 2.05 ERA. Following the season, he was traded to the

with Bob Bailor for Sid Fernandez and Ross Jones. As Fernandez was from

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, this trade was unique in that it involved two Hawaiians. The trade was initially unpopular with Mets fans, however, it turned out to favor the Mets in the end, as Fernandez went on to be a staple of the Mets rotation for ten years. Diaz, meanwhile, lasted only two and a half seasons with the Dodgers before injuries cut short his career. He signed with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

following the season, but was cut during

Spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. Diaz had a perfect career fielding percentage until the 12th inning of a fourteen-inning marathon against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

on June 21, . He misplayed a Tim Flannery ground ball for his only career

error An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

Death

Diaz died on September 28, 2015, in Kailua, Honolulu County, Hawaii. The cause of death was reportedly a heart attack.

References

External links

Baseball Almanac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Carlos Major League Baseball pitchers Los Angeles Dodgers players New York Mets players Atlanta Braves players Richmond Braves players Baseball players from Hawaii Allan Hancock Bulldogs baseball players 1958 births 2015 deaths Bellingham Mariners players San Jose Missions players Spokane Indians players Albuquerque Dukes players 20th-century American sportsmen