Eduardo Figueroa Padilla (born October 14, 1948) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. Listed at 6' 1" , 190 lb. , Figueroa batted and threw right handed. He was born in

Ciales, Puerto Rico Ciales (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico, located on the Central Mountain Range, northwest of Orocovis; south of Florida and Manatí; east of Utuado and Jayuya; and west of Morovis. Ciales is spread over eight barrios and Cial ...

. Figueroa is the only

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), 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, ...

from Puerto Rico to win twenty games in a regular major league season.

Career

Early career, service in the Marines

Figueroa originally signed with the

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 ...

as a seventeen-year-old amateur free agent in . He went 12–5 with a 2.05

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 number ...

with the Winter Haven Mets in , and seemed well on his way to the majors when was called to take a

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

physical in Puerto Rico. After three weeks away from his team, the

Raleigh-Durham Mets The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, the region ...

, he hurt his arm in his first game back. The Mets released him, and Figueroa joined the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, spending the next year in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Upon his discharge from the Marine Corps in , Figueroa signed with the

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

. After three seasons in their organization, he was traded to the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

for

Bruce Christensen Bruce Ray Christensen (born February 22, 1948) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop for the California Angels. He was drafted by the Angels in the 17th round of the 1966 amateur draft. In his only major league season, 1971, he got int ...

and

Don Rose Don Rose (born Donald Duane Rosenberg; July 5, 1934 – March 30, 2005), also known as "Dr. Donald D. Rose" or just "Dr. Don," was an American radio personality on KFRC AM 610 in San Francisco, California from October 1973 to 1986. Prior to join ...

on July 6, .

California Angels

Figueroa made his major league debut on April 9, 1974. After

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Ryan pitched for the New Yo ...

had given up three runs to the Texas Rangers, he was replaced in the second inning with the bases loaded and no outs.

Skip Lockwood Claude Edward (Skip) Lockwood Jr. (born August 17, 1946) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers (1969–1973), California Angels (1974), New York Mets (1975–1979) and Boston R ...

struck out the first batter he faced, then gave up a

grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

Jeff Burroughs Jeffrey Alan Burroughs (born March 7, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from through , for the Washington Senators / Texas Rangers (1970–76), Atlanta Braves (1977� ...

. The Angels were already behind 10–2 when Figueroa was called into the game in the eighth inning. He gave up one hit in two innings. On July 6, Figueroa pitched a complete game in which he only gave up one earned run while striking out six with six hits. He received no run support from his team, and his first decision was a 1–0 loss to

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. His next start was also a complete game. This time he received run support, and shut out 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, 7–0, at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

. The 1974 Angels were a last place team which lost 94. Figueroa ended up with a 2–8 record despite a solid 3.67 ERA. After splitting 1974 between starts and relief appearances, Figueroa was added to the starting rotation for . The Angels were again a last place team, yet Figueroa still managed to put up respectable numbers, going 16–13 with a 2.91 ERA.

New York Yankees

Figueroa was acquired along with

Mickey Rivers John Milton "Mickey" Rivers (born October 30, 1948) is an American former baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984 for the California Angels, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. As a Yankee, he was part of two Worl ...

by the

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

from the Angels for

Bobby Bonds Bobby Lee Bonds Sr. (March 15, 1946 – August 23, 2003) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball from to . He played for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers (baseball), ...

on December 11, 1975. He joined a Yankees pitching staff that included

Catfish Hunter James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999) was an American professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). From to , he was a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and New York Y ...

and

Dock Ellis Dock Phillip Ellis Jr. (March 11, 1945 – December 19, 2008) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates team ...

, yet it was Figueroa who turned out to be the staff ace, going 19–10 with a 3.02 ERA to finish fourth in American League Cy Young Award balloting behind

Jim Palmer James Alvin Palmer (born October 15, 1945) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967, 1969–1984). Palmer was the winningest MLB pitcher in the ...

Mark Fidrych Mark Steven Fidrych ( ; August 14, 1954 – April 13, 2009), nicknamed "the Bird", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers. Known for his quirky antics on ...

and former California teammate

Frank Tanana Frank Daryl Tanana (born July 3, 1953) is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher. In a Major League Baseball career that stretched from 1973 to 1993, he pitched for the California Angels, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, De ...

in . Figueroa's numbers tailed off slightly in 1977, as he went 16–11 with a 3.57 ERA for the

1977 World Series The 1977 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1977 season. The 74th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the Nati ...

champions. He was 7–7 with a 3.91 ERA when he took the mound against 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 ...

on July 19, 1978. Figueroa pitched a complete-game shutout, and went 13–2 for the remainder of the season to help lead the charge from fourteen games back to overtake the Boston Red Sox in the American League East. Figueroa suffered from an arm injury in 1979, and was limited to sixteen starts. On July 20, 1980, Figueroa was tagged by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

for five earned runs in two innings. His ERA ballooned to 6.98, and he was placed on waivers shortly afterwards. The Texas Rangers purchased his contract just before the July 31 trade deadline.

Oakland A's

In Texas, Figueroa was 0–7 with a 5.90 ERA for the Rangers in 1980. He re-signed with the Rangers for , but was released after six minor league starts in which he was 2–1 with a 7.83 ERA. Shortly afterwards, he signed with former Yankees skipper

Billy Martin Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989) was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yankees. First known ...

and 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 ...

, and posted a far more respectable 3.34 ERA with their

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

affiliate, the

Tacoma Tigers Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mou ...

. He earned a promotion to the majors, and made his final major league start on September 6 against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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 America ...

. He was leading 4–2 when an injury forced his early departure in the fifth inning. Figueroa made five minor league starts for the A's in , and was 0–3 with an 18.24 ERA. He was offered a minor league deal by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

for , but chose instead to retire. In between, Figueroa pitched for the

Gold Coast Suns The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in the ...

of the

Senior Professional Baseball Association The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...

in 1989. He also played winter ball with the

Lobos de Arecibo Lobos de Arecibo () were a professional baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, based in Arecibo. The Lobos won the 1983 national baseball championship and the 1983 Caribbean World Series, the only time the franchise won b ...

, Criollos de Caguas and Cangrejeros de Santurce clubs of the

Puerto Rico Baseball League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Oriental Mi ...

. While pitching for Caguas, he led the league in wins on back-to-back seasons, recording 10-3 twice in the 1973-74 and 1974-75 campaigns. Major League Baseball pitching statistics

Figueroa posted a 0–4 record with a 7.47 ERA in seven post-season starts.

Late years

Figueroa lives in

Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Guaynabo (, ) is a Guaynabo barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the northeastern coastal plain of Puerto Rico. Located west of the capital San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan, east of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Bayam� ...

, and owns two restaurants, named Lupis in

Old San Juan Old San Juan () is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the San Juan Islet, islet of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, ...

and near the San Juan airport.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Figueroa, Ed 1948 births Living people Amarillo Giants players United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War California Angels players Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Criollos de Caguas players Decatur Commodores players Fresno Giants players Gold Coast Suns (baseball) players Greenville Mets players Leones de Yucatán players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Lobos de Arecibo players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Marion Mets players Mexican League baseball pitchers Modesto A's players New York Yankees players Oakland Athletics players People from Ciales, Puerto Rico Phoenix Giants players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Mexico Raleigh-Durham Mets players Salt Lake City Angels players Salt Lake City Gulls players Tacoma Tigers players Texas Rangers players United States Marines Wichita Aeros players Winter Haven Mets players