Ruddy Joraider Lugo (born May 22, 1980) is a Dominican-American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather d ...

. He played in

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) ...

(MLB) for the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

and the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

Julio Lugo Julio Cesar Lugo (November 16, 1975 – November 15, 2021) was a Dominican professional baseball shortstop. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, ...

, who played in MLB for 12 seasons as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

, was his older brother.

Career

He attended Xaverian High School in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

. Lugo was born in Barahona,

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

, and was drafted by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

in the third round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft. During

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

, he was signed by the

. He then started the season with the Single-A Visalia Oaks and finished it with the Double-A

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League. The team was found ...

. In , he was called up to the Devil Rays and made his debut on April 3 against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles 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 American League's eight charter ...

. In June , the

claimed him off waivers. In January , Lugo was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets. In August, Lugo was promoted to the Majors due to injuries to John Maine and Billy Wagner. After being a starter for the New Orleans Zephyrs in Triple-A, Lugo was placed in the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

for the Mets. However, he was optioned a few days afterward without getting into a game. He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed a minor-league contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. Lugo was released by the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played ...

in July . He then spent the 2011 season with the independent Atlantic League Long Island Ducks as a starting pitcher. On July 4, 2013, he joined the Bridgeport Bluefish as a relief pitcher, and pitched in 25 games for the team that season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lugo, Ruddy 1980 births Living people Beloit Snappers players Bridgeport Bluefish players Carolina Mudcats players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Durham Bulls players Jacksonville Suns players Jupiter Hammerheads players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Montgomery Biscuits players New Orleans Zephyrs players Oakland Athletics players Ogden Raptors players People from Barahona Province Round Rock Express players Sacramento River Cats players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Toledo Mud Hens players Vero Beach Dodgers players Visalia Oaks players Wilmington Waves players Xaverian High School alumni Azucareros del Este players Tigres de Aragua players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toros del Este players