Pedro Ramos

Pedro ("Pete") Ramos Guerra (born April 28, 1935) is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and the expansion Washington Senators, all of the American League (AL), and the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds, all of the National League (NL), over the course of a 15-year career (–; –). Ramos was elected to the AL All-Star team in . He led the league in losses four times, in (18), 1959 (19), (18), and (20). On April 11, 1961, the first game for the newly relocated Twins, Ramos was the winning pitcher, when the team defeated the Yankees, 6–0, at Yankee Stadium.

Early life

Ramos was born on April 28, 1935, in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. He worked on his father’s tobacco farm as a teenager. He played Cuban amateur baseball as a teenager. At 17, he was signed by legendary scout Joe Cambria to play for the Washington Senators.

Baseball career

Minor leagues

In 1953, at only 18 years old, Ramos pitched for the Class-D Morristown Red Sox of the Mountain States League. He pitched in 33 games, starting five, with a 7–6 record and 6.26 earned run average (ERA). He pitched only one more year in the American minor leagues before joining the Washington Senators in 1955.

Major leagues

In 1955, Ramos began his major league career with the Senators, knowing no English, which he learned by watching cowboy movies. He played on the team from 1955-1960, and moved with the team to Minnesota, when it became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. From 1955-59 the Senators never won more than 63 games in a season and finished in last place four times. They won only 73 games in 1960 (5th place) and 70 games in their first year as the Minnesota Twins (7th place). Ramos started the Twins very first game, pitching a shutout win over the Yankees and Whitey Ford.

In 1955, as a 20 year old who never played above Class-B baseball, Ramos pitched in 45 games, starting nine. He finished the season with a 5–11 record, 3.88 ERA and five saves. He had only one winning season with the lowly Senators and Twins over the next six years (12–10 in 1956), and led the American League in losses from 1958-1961, chiefly as a starting pitcher. In 1956, he gave up one of the longest home runs ever hit, to future teammate Mickey Mantle. In 1960, his 3.45 ERA was 25th best in both leagues, but his loss total (18) was tied for second worst in all of baseball among over 200 pitchers. In 1961, his 3.95 ERA was 47th in both leagues, but his loss total the worst in both leagues among over 200 pitchers.

On April 2, 1962, the Twins traded Ramos to Cleveland Indians in exchange for Vic Power and Dick Stigman. In his first year with Cleveland he had a 10–12 record with a 3.75 ERA. The team finished the year with an 80–82 record, in 6th place. His ERA was 36th best in all of baseball, and his losses were tied for 34th worst in the major leagues among over 200 pitchers. In 1963 for Cleveland, he had a 9–8 record, his first winning record since 1956, and a career-low 3.12 ERA as a starter. Ramos played almost the entire 1964 season for Cleveland, starting 19 of 36 games in which he appeared, with 5.14 ERA and 7–10 record. On September 5, 1964, Cleveland traded Ramos to the Yankees for $75,000 and two players to be named later (after the season, the Indians received Ralph Terry and Bud Daley).

The Yankees traded for Ramos to improve their relief pitching staff during a tight pennant race. A starter most of his career, Ramos became an unexpected sensation in September 1964 after 13 appearances for the Yankees, all in relief. Ramos saved eight games, won a game, and posted a 1.25 ERA as the Yankees barely held off the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles down the pennant stretch. In 21 innings, Ramos struck out 21 batters and walked none. Because the trade came after August 31, Ramos was not eligible to pitch in the World Series, which New York lost in seven games to the Bob Gibson-led St. Louis Cardinals. His Yankee teammates still voted that he get one-half of a player's share of their World Series earnings.

As a Senator, in his second big-league season, Ramos surrendered one of the more memorable home runs in the career of Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle. On May 30, 1956, Mantle tore into a Ramos pitch and nearly drove it out of Yankee Stadium, hitting the facade of the top deck in right field. In their heyday, Ramos and Mantle were considered among the fastest runners in the major leagues. Mantle and Ramos raced with Ramos stumbling at the start, Mantle winning. The New York Times reported, however, that while Ramos repeatedly challenged Mantle to a footrace, Mantle declined, seeing no upside.

As a hitter, Ramos was an occasional home run threat. He posted a .155 batting average (109-for-703) with 76 runs, hitting 15 home runs with 56 RBI. Defensively, he recorded a .977 fielding percentage, which was 19 points higher than the league average at his position.

Ramos also had a notable career pitching in the Cuban Winter League.

Personal life

After retiring from baseball, Ramos served as a coach in Central and South America. He also manufactured his own brand of cigars. Ramos spent some time in prison.

See also

* List of Major League Baseball all-time leaders in home runs by pitchers

References

External links

Pedro Ramos
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramos, Pedro
1935 births
Living people
American League All-Stars
California Angels scouts
Cardenales de Lara players
Cuban expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Cardenales de Villahermosa players
Charros de Jalisco players
Cienfuegos players
Cincinnati Reds players
Cleveland Indians players
Columbus Jets players
Diablos Rojos del México players
Hagerstown Packets players
Indianapolis Indians players
Kingsport Cherokees players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from Cuba
20th-century Cuban sportsmen
Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States
Minor league baseball coaches
Minor league baseball managers
Minnesota Twins players
Morristown Red Sox players
New York Yankees players
Baseball players from Pinar del Río
Pericos de Puebla players
Philadelphia Phillies players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Richmond Braves players
Savannah Indians players
Tidewater Tides players
Tigres de Aragua players
Vancouver Mounties players
Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
Washington Senators (1961–1971) players
21st-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen