Lázaro Ramón Gonzalo Naranjo
ah-RAHN-ho(25 November 1934 – 13 January 2022) was a Cuban baseball player who was a
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
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 (AL) ...
. Listed at , , he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Biography
A native of
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. ,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, Naranjo was signed in 1952 by the
Washington Senators, but he did not play for them. Drafted by 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) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...
in 1954, he entered the majors in 1956 with the Pirates, appearing for them in 17 games.
In his one-season career, Naranjo posted a 1–2 record with 26
strikeouts and a 4.46
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Com ...
in 34
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). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is ...
of work, including three
starts and seven
games finished
In baseball statistics, a relief pitcher is credited with a game finished (denoted by GF) if he is the last pitcher to pitch for his team in a game. A starting pitcher is not credited with a GF for pitching a complete game.
Mariano Rivera is the ...
. As a hitter, he went 1-for-7 for a .143
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
, including one
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
, one
run
Run(s) or RUN may refer to:
Places
* Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia
* Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant
People
* Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop grou ...
, and one
RBI
RBI most often refers to:
*Reserve Bank of India
*Run batted in
RBI may also refer to:
Organisations
*Radio Berlin International
*Raiffeisen Bank International
*Reed Business Information
*Restaurant Brands International
*Ruđer Bošković In ...
.
Naranjo died from complications of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
, on 13 January 2022, at the age of 87.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball players from Cuba
The following is a list of baseball players from Cuba who have played in Major League Baseball.
A
* José Abreu
* José Acosta
* Merito Acosta
* Rafael Almeida
* Luis (Witto) Aloma
* Yonder Alonso
* Dariel Álvarez
* Ossie Álvarez
* Yord ...
References
Further reading
* United Press
"Ike Enjoys Opener: President, Rookie Play Catch" ''The Pittsburgh Press''. April 14, 1954.
* Hernon, Jack
"Roamin' Around: The Kid with a Secret" ''The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. March 15, 1955.
* Hoffman, Jeane
"Mazeroski, Naranjo Confuse Pilot Hopper" ''The Los Angeles Times''. June 15, 1956.
* Diunte, Nick
"The President's Senator for a Day" ''La Vida Baseball''. August 4, 2018.
External links
1934 births
2022 deaths
Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players
Columbus Jets players
Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
Hollywood Stars players
Houston Buffs players
Jacksonville Jets players
Lincoln Chiefs players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from Cuba
Nashville Vols players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Richmond Colts players
Baseball players from Havana
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