Radhames Corey Liz Garcia (born October 6, 1983) is a Dominican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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, ...

for the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He has previously played 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 ...

(MLB) for 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 ...

and

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 ...

, in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

LG Twins The LG Twins () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the KBO League. The Twins play their home games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which they share with their rivals, the Doosan Bears. ...

, in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping ...

, and in the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL) for the Lamigo Monkeys.

Biography

Liz, who is one of eight children in his family, started playing

when he was 16 years old and learned how to pitch in and while playing in the

Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League (DSL) is a branch of affiliated Minor League Baseball which is played in the Dominican Republic. The league was founded in 1985. After the demise of the Venezuelan Summer League after the 2015 season, it is the only ...

. He started pitching in the United States during the season.

Professional career

Baltimore Orioles

Liz began his professional career in 2005, going 7–7 with a 2.86 ERA in 21 starts with the Single-A

Aberdeen IronBirds The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. They are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League. They were previously members of th ...

and the Single-A

Delmarva Shorebirds The Delmarva Shorebirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are members of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Their home games are played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shor ...

. In , Liz started the year with the

Frederick Keys The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for the "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team ...

, the highest of the Orioles' three Single-A teams. Liz began the season by

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish television legal drama television series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017, based on ''The Good Wife'' by Robert King (writer), Robert and Michelle King. Prod ...

33 batters in his first 15 innings pitched. Later in the year, he represented the Orioles on the World squad at the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. He also received a promotion to the Double-A

Bowie Baysox The Chesapeake Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. From 1993 to 2024, th ...

; between the two teams, he struck out 149 batters in 133 innings before playing in the

Dominican Winter League The Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League ( or LIDOM) is a professional baseball Winter league baseball, winter league consisting of six teams spread across the Dominican Republic; it is the highest level of professional baseball played ...

. However, he had difficulty with his control in the 2006 season,

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...

75 batters. ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' named Liz the Orioles' fifth-best prospect going into the season, following Billy Rowell, Brandon Erbe, Nolan Reimold, and Pedro Beato. Liz returned to Bowie for the 2007 season and was selected for the Eastern League's All-Star Game. He no-hit the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

on June 1. His no-hitter was the first nine-inning no-hitter ever pitched at Prince George's Stadium, which has been open since . On August 14, Liz took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the

Connecticut Defenders The Connecticut Defenders were a Minor League Baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 ...

; he then allowed a single and a two-run

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

, but struck out 14 batters in eight innings. For the 2007 season, Liz had an 11–4 record for the Baysox with a 3.22

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

and 161 strikeouts in 137 innings pitched. In his 10 starts at the Baysox' Prince George's Stadium, he was 9–0 with a 2.02 ERA in 62 innings pitched. The Orioles recalled Liz from Bowie on August 24, , to make a start 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 ...

Oriole Park at Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards, commonly known as Camden Yards, is a ballpark in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the ...

the following day. He allowed five runs, including a three-run home run to

Torii Hunter Torii Kedar Hunter (; born July 18, 1975) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and right fielder. Hunter currently serves as Special Assistant to Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian. He played in Major League ...

, in six innings. He consistently threw 97–98 miles per hour, with one pitch clocked at 100. In 2008, he mostly played for the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

, the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

. In 15 starts with the Tides, Liz was 3–7 with a 3.62 ERA.

San Diego Padres

On November 25, 2009, Liz was claimed off waivers by the

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

. He played the 2010 season with the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams h ...

, Triple-A affiliate of the Padres, and posted an 8–8 record with a 4.83 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 25 games (22 starts). On January 5, 2011, Liz was released by the Padres.

LG Twins

On January 7, 2011, he signed with the

of the

. Liz enjoyed a tenure of success in the KBO, leading the league in strikeouts in 2013 with 188. He would post a 26–38 record with a 3.51 ERA in three seasons with the Twins, totalling 518 innings pitched.

Toronto Blue Jays

Liz signed a minor league contract with 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

on March 8, 2014, and was assigned to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. After starting the season on the disabled list, he was assigned to the

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Ja ...

on May 25 for a start against the

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 13, 2014, Liz signed a one-year Major League contract with the

for $1 million. Initially it was reported to be a two-year contract for $3 million. However, the deal was adjusted due to the Pirates being "uncomfortable" with Liz's physical results. On May 25, Liz was designated for assignment. He was re-added to the major league roster on September 1 and designated for assignment again on September 15.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

On November 26, 2015, Liz signed a one-year deal with the

for the 2016 season.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 22, 2017, Liz signed a minor league contract 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 ...

. He was released on June 1, 2018.

Lamigo Monkeys

On February 1, 2019, Liz signed with the Lamigo Monkeys of the

. On January 5, 2020, he re-signed with the team (now named the

Rakuten Monkeys The Rakuten Monkeys (), formerly known as La New Bears (2004–2010) and Lamigo Monkeys (2011–2019), are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. Owned and administered by the Japanese technol ...

) for the 2020 season. However, on February 9, Liz opted out of his contract for unspecified reasons, though he later clarified that it was due to a

herniated disc A disc herniation or spinal disc herniation is an injury to the intervertebral disc between two vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, ...

in his back that he wanted to address.

Leones de Yucatán

On February 23, 2021, Liz signed with the Leones de Yucatán of the

. In 10 starts for the team, he registered a 4-3 record and 3.96 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched. The following year, he made 15 starts, logging a 3-5 record and identical 3.96 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 72.2 innings of work. Liz won the Mexican League Championship with the Leones in 2022.

Toros de Tijuana

On December 2, 2022, Liz was traded to the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (English: Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican baseball team based in Tijuana, Mexico, that competes in the Mexican Baseball League. The team plays its home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The franchise w ...

of the

in exchange for P Tyler Alexander. He was released on April 5, 2023, without making an appearance for the club. However, he later rejoined the team and officially signed with them on May 19. In 6 starts, he posted a 1–0 record with a 2.96 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 27.1 innings. Liz was waived on June 25, 2023.

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos

On July 8, 2023, Liz signed with the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the

. In 4 starts for Dos Laredos, Liz logged a 2–1 record and 4.26 ERA with 11 strikeouts across 19 innings pitched.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

On February 22, 2024, Liz signed with the

of the

. In 9 starts for Oaxaca, he posted a 2–2 record and 3.43 ERA with 42 strikeouts over 42 innings of work.

Scouting report

Liz is known for his remarkably long arms; when he stands with his arms at his sides, his fingers reach below his knees. Liz uses a straight overhand pitching motion and throws his

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

consistently in the mid- to upper-90s and has been clocked at 99 mph. His other pitches include an overhand

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

, a sinker, a slider, and two variations of a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

. Early in his professional career, Liz received attention because of a clicking sound which is sometimes loud enough to be heard in the stands and occurs whenever he throws a pitch. Some have thought it to be his thumb clicking against his index finger. Orioles head athletic trainer Richie Bancells discovered that Liz's

scapula The scapula (: scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on either side ...

caused the clicking; although rare, this condition does not hurt his pitching career. To treat this condition, Liz has been doing an exercise program to strengthen the muscles around his collarbone.

Honours

Club

Lamigo Monkeys *

Taiwan Series The Taiwan Series () is the final championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 a ...

Champions: 2019

Individual

* CPBL wins champions: 2019 * CPBL strikeout champions: 2019

Personal life

Liz is of

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

an descent.

References

External links

Career statistics and player information
from the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liz, Radhames 1983 births Living people Aberdeen IronBirds players Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Delmarva Shorebirds players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in South Korea Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic people of Haitian descent Estrellas Orientales players Frederick Keys players Indianapolis Indians players KBO League pitchers Lamigo Monkeys players Leones de Yucatán players LG Twins players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Sportspeople from El Seibo Province Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players Tigres del Licey players Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles players Toros de Tijuana players Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos players