Juan Carlos Pulido Valera (August 5, 1971 – December 28, 2023) was a Venezuelan

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 ...

who played 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) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

in 1994 and between 2003 and 2004. He batted and threw left-handed.

Career

Signed at 18 in 1989 by Minnesota, the hard-throwing Pulido was a bright prospect in the Twins' system, but a 1995 arm injury ruined his chances as a starter. After spending one season with the Twins in 1994, he spent the next decade in the minor leagues, as well as with the

Orix BlueWave , styled as ORIX, is a Japanese diversified financial services group headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. ORIX offers leasing, lending, rentals, life insurance, real estate financing and development, venture capital, investment an ...

, before spending two more seasons with the Twins in 2003 and 2004. In a three-season career, Pulido posted a 3–8 record with 47

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s and a 5.98

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). In cricket and rounders, "innings" is ...

. Most notably, he was a part of baseball history on June 12, 1994, when he started a game in the

Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League's (NFL) ...

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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, who had fellow countryman

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 ...

on the mound, marking the first time in major league history game that two Venezuelan starters faced each other. Pulido would earn the win in that encounter, tossing six innings of two-run ball as

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995). Puckett was instrumental in helping the Twins t ...

belted a home run in the 6–2 victory. Pulido had a successful career in

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (, or LVBP) is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Background and predecessors Baseball had been play ...

(Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional), playing for

Navegantes del Magallanes Navegantes del Magallanes B.B.C., commonly known as Navegantes del Magallanes (; ''Strait of Magellan, Magellan Navigators''), or simply Magallanes, are a professional baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP), based in ...

Tigres de Aragua The Tigres de Aragua () is a baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and represents the state of Aragua. Founded in 1965, the Tigres plays its home games at the Estadio José Pérez Colmenares in Maracay. The team ...

and

Cardenales de Lara The Cardenales de Lara () is a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP). Founded in 1942 and based in Barquisimeto, the Cardenales have won seven domestic titles, including back-to-back in 1998 and 1999, 2019, 2020 and ...

. Lifetime, he had a 68–51 record, with a 3.08 ERA, in 234 appearances. In 2007, he did not play in any Summer League, instead coaching for the Texas Rangers Single-A team in the minor leagues. He was released by Cardenales in Venezuela, and rehired by his original team, Magallanes, before retiring in 2008 with Tiburones de la Guaira. In Venezuela, he was known as "El Domador de Leones" (The Lion Tamer). Pulido was inducted into the Magallanes Hall of Fame on November 19, 2016. On November 1, 2024, Pulido was posthumously elected to the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 76% of the votes from the Contemporary Committee.

Death

After weeks of battling chronic health problems, and despite an initial health improvement, Pulido died on December 28, 2023, at a Caracas hospital. He was 52.Fallece el “Domador de Leones” Juan Carlos Pulido
/ref>

References

External links

*
Simply-Baseball-Notebook.com: Carlos Pulido's Amazing Journey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pulido, Carlos 1971 births 2023 deaths Acereros de Monclova players Cardenales de Lara players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast Twins players Iowa Cubs players Kenosha Twins players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 20th-century Venezuelan sportsmen Mercuries Tigers players Mexican League baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players Navegantes del Magallanes players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Orix BlueWave players Orlando Cubs players Orlando Sun Rays players Ottawa Lynx players Baseball players from Caracas Portland Beavers players Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Buzz players Somerset Patriots players Tiburones de La Guaira players Tigres de Aragua players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Japan Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Visalia Oaks players

Career

Death

See also

References

External links