Miguel Alfonso Del Toro Gastelum (June 22, 1972 – October 6, 2001) was a professional baseball pitcher. Born in Mexico, Del Toro pitched for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

during the and seasons.

Career

Del Toro was a member of 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 ...

organization through the majority of the '90s. However, beyond one brief spring training appearance, he remained in his native Mexico. Born in

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

and a resident of Mexico City, Del Toro was a pitcher for the Mexico City Red Devils. He became serious about making it to

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) ...

when he arrived for the Pirates' 1998 Spring training. After not making the 40 man roster, he was granted free agency. After impressing the Giants in Spring training, Del Toro made not only the 40 man roster, but the 1999 Opening Day 25 man list. Later, he was optioned to the Pacific Coast League's

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

. At Triple-A Fresno, Del Toro played as both a starter and a reliever. He continued to play in both the minors and the majors, finishing the season with a 4.18 ERA in 14 games and 20 strikeouts. Wearing No. 37, Del Toro began the season in Fresno. His first career Major League Baseball victory came against 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 ...

. Del Toro relieved Kirk Rueter, pitching two scoreless innings. He struck out two and shook off a line drive off his leg. Del Toro had his second major league victory on September 23, 2000. Del Toro lasted five innings, striking out four. He continued to pitch for the remainder of the year, including the final defensive inning of the year, working Game 5 of the

2000 National League Division Series The 2000 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2000 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Sunday, October 8, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team— ...

against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

. After the year, the Giants sold his contract to the Japanese League's

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, ...

. Del Toro's days in Major League Baseball were over, leaving the Giants with 2000 season stats of a 2–0 record and a 5.19 ERA.

Death

Days after Del Toro cut ties with Seibu, he was traveling with two companions in

Ciudad Obregón Ciudad Obregón is a city in southern Sonora. It is the state's second largest city after Hermosillo and serves as the municipal seat of Cajeme, as of 2020, the city has a population of 436,484. Ciudad Obregón is south of the state's norther ...

. Del Toro's car collided with an agricultural tractor, killing him and his two companions; Del Toro was 29. Del Toro was survived by his expecting wife, Eloisa, and two children – Maria and Miguel. The Giants honored Del Toro's life with a brief moment of silence, and Seibu left his Japanese League No. 32 unworn for the following season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Del Toro, Miguel 1972 births 2001 deaths Baseball players from Sonora Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Mexico Mexican expatriate baseball players in Japan Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States San Francisco Giants players Seibu Lions players Road incident deaths in Mexico People from Ciudad Obregón