Ernest Carlos Camacho (born February 1, 1955) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in
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 ...
from 1980 to 1981 and 1983 to 1990. His best season came with the
1984 Cleveland Indians, when he led the team with 23
saves.
Early life
Ernie grew up playing baseball in his hometown of
Salinas, California
Salinas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Salt pan (geology), Salt Flats") is a city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Monterey County, California, Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is ...
, first as a
Little League Baseball player, then as a student at
Alisal High School and
Hartnell College
Hartnell College is a public community college in Salinas, California. Established in 1920 as Salinas Junior College, Hartnell is one of 115 schools that constitute the California Community Colleges, one of the three higher education systems i ...
.
[ Ernie was drafted by major league teams three times out of Hartnell College: 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
selected him in the 12th round of the June 1975 draft, 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 ...
took him in the fourth round of the January 1976 draft, 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 ...
selected him in the first round of the June 1976 draft.[
]
Career
After signing with Oakland, Ernie played for the team's minor-league affiliates until he made his major-league debut in 1980. In April 1981, he was the player to be named later that completed an earlier trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Bob Owchinko. After making a few major-league appearances with the 1981 Pirates, he was sent to 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 ...
in a multiplayer trade before the 1982 season. He spent 1982 in the minor leagues before being granted free agency.[
Ernie was briefly with 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 ...
organization before being traded along with Gorman Thomas and Jamie Easterly to the Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
for Rick Manning and Rick Waits on June 6, 1983."Brewers trade Thomas," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Tuesday, June 7, 1983.
Retrieved August 24, 2018. In 1984, Camacho led the Indians in saves with 23.[ Early in the 1985 season, Camacho had arm problems. He required two surgeries - one in April and one in October - which cost him the 1985 season. He had a short stint on the disabled list due to more arm problems in 1986. Camacho attributed the injury to having not thrown the ball in a full season. He was back in the closer role in late May 1986.]
After a 20-save season in 1986, Ernie was never again able to sustain that level of effectiveness. After being granted free agency in late 1987, he had short stints with both major-league and minor-league teams over the next three seasons.[ The 1989 Triple-A season was one of his most encouraging, as he saved 13 games for the Phoenix Firebirds of the ]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 ...
; in 13 games for the San Francisco Giants that season, he had a 2.76 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 ...
but did not register any saves. He retired after the 1990 season.
Later life
After his retirement from baseball, Ernie worked for a school district in Salinas, performing plumbing and electrical work. He contributed to fundraising and awareness for Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
, a disease that affected his father. Camacho also established an educational foundation and a youth baseball clinic in Salinas.
References
External links
, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camacho, Ernie
1955 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Baseball players from Salinas, California
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Charleston Charlies players
Charros de Jalisco players
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Cleveland Indians players
Diablos Rojos del México players
Edmonton Trappers players
Hartnell College alumni
Houston Astros players
Louisville Redbirds players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Mexican League baseball pitchers
Modesto A's players
Navegantes del Magallanes players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Oakland Athletics players
Ogden A's players
Phoenix Firebirds players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Portland Beavers players
Rochester Red Wings players
San Francisco Giants players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Sun City Rays players
Tucson Toros players
Vancouver Canadians players