David Moraga (born July 8, 1975) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...
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 ...
who played for one season 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) ...
. He pitched in three games for the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They p ...
during the
2000 Montreal Expos season
The 2000 Montreal Expos season was the 32nd season in franchise history.
Offseason
*February 4, 2000: Charlie O'Brien was signed as a free agent with the Montreal Expos.[Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...]
off waivers and pitched a game for them during the
2000 Colorado Rockies season.
The Expos added Moraga to the Major League roster for the first time on June 11, 2000 following an injury to
T. J. Tucker. He made his Major League debut on June 11 against 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 ...
in Toronto and faced two batters, throwing a
wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third st ...
, recording no outs, allowing an
inherited runner to score and allowing two
earned runs
In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...
of his own.
The Expos
designated Moraga for assignment on June 17, 2000, at which point he had a 37.80
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...
(ERA) in three pitching appearances.
The following day, the Rockies claimed Moraga off waivers. On September 20, the Rockies recalled Moraga from
Triple-A Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
where he had credited minor league
pitching coach
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...
Jim Wright
James Claude Wright Jr. (December 22, 1922 – May 6, 2015) was an American politician who served as the 48th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1989. He represented Texas's 12th congressional district as a ...
with teaching him to throw a
slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* ''The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* S ...
properly. He appeared in one game for the Rockies and allowed five earned runs in one
inning pitched.
Following the season, he was returned to the minors. His career 40.50 ERA is the highest of any pitcher with four or more career appearances.
Moraga pitched in
Minor League Baseball until 2003. He returned to professional baseball in 2008 when he pitched in the
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independe ...
Northern League Northern League may refer to:
Sport
Baseball
* Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971
* Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...
.
He was a Northern League All-Star in 2008 with the
Joliet JackHammers
The Joliet JackHammers were a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois, in the United States. The JackHammers were a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From 2002 to 2010, the JackHammers ...
. His final season came in 2009 with the
Edmonton Trappers
The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton.
The ...
.
, he was selling baseball lessons in
Solano County, California
Solano County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield.
Solano County comprises the Vallejo–Fairfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which i ...
.
References
External links
Baseball Almanac
1975 births
Living people
Albany Polecats players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Baseball players from Torrance, California
Camden Riversharks players
Carolina Mudcats players
Colorado Rockies players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Edmonton Capitals players
Gulf Coast Expos players
Harrisburg Senators players
Joliet JackHammers players
Jupiter Hammerheads players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Montreal Expos players
Newark Bears players
Ottawa Lynx players
Sacramento City Panthers baseball players
Schaumburg Flyers players
West Palm Beach Expos players
West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players
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