Rómulo Ignacio Sánchez Oviedo (born 28 April 1984) is a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n former 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, ...

. He 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 ...

(MLB) for 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 ...

and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

, 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 Chinatrust Brother Elephants.

Career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Sánchez was signed as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

on 8 March 2002. He pitched asva starter 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 ...

in 2002 and 2003. He was released by the Dodgers on 12 March 2004.

Pittsburgh Pirates

He was picked up by the

on 7 May 2004. He pitched in the Venezuelan League in 2004 for the Pirates, throwing a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts in one game. Sánchez made his stateside debut in 2005, making appearances in rookie ball, Single-A, and Double-A. Due to a lack of secondary pitches, the Pirates converted him to a reliever in 2006. He spent most of his time in A-ball, pitching to a 7.08 ERA in 40.2 innings over 21 games with the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans St ...

. Sánchez missed the last two months of the season with shoulder tendinitis. After the season,

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 ...

ranked him as the Pirates' 30th best prospect. He was also added to the 40-man roster. Sánchez began the 2007 season with the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

and pitched to a 6–3 record with a 2.81

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 ...

in 40 relief appearances. His career walk rate went from 3.9 BB/9 to 2.7, which was enough of an improvement for the big league club to take notice. When Salomón Torres went on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

on 25 August, Sánchez was called up. He made his Major League debut on 26 August against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

, throwing two thirds of an inning. Sánchez allowed eight runs in three games consecutive appearances, which greatly contributed to his 5.00 ERA in 18 innings. After the season, he was ranked as the 13th best prospect in the Pirates system by Baseball America. In 2008, he started the season in Triple-A with the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

. Sánchez was called up to the majors on 29 June after going 4–0 with four saves and a 2.85 ERA in 28 relief appearances. On 1 July, he picked up his only MLB save during a 6–5 extra inning Pirates victory over the Reds. He allowed six runs on 14 hits and six walks over 13.1 innings of work in multiple stints with the team that year. During spring training in 2009, Sánchez was designated for assignment. He was then outrighted to Triple-A.

New York Yankees

Sánchez was traded to the

for Eric Hacker on 16 May 2009. The Yankees attempted to convert him back into a starter. Following the 2009 season, Sánchez was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. On 7 May 2010, the Yankees recalled Sánchez to the major leagues. He appeared in two games and worked four and one third innings without allowing a run. In 2011, Sánchez was out of options and did not travel with the team amid speculation of an coming trade.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

On 11 April 2011, Sánchez signed with

of the

(NPB) for $475k plus bonuses. He was 0–2 with a 4.96 ERA in 15 games. On 29 November 2011, he became free agent.

Tampa Bay Rays

On 19 January 2012, Sánchez signed a minor league contract with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

. He did not make the team out of spring training and was assigned to Triple-A Durham before the season. On 2 August, Sánchez was released by the Rays. He went 2–2 with a 6.31 ERA in 34 appearances with Durham.

Olmecas de Tabasco

He participated in the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the tw ...

as a member of Team Venezuela. On 21 March 2013, Sánchez signed with

Olmecas de Tabasco The Olmecas de Tabasco (English: Tabasco Olmecs) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero. The Olmecas won their only Mexican Lea ...

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 ...

, where he was 0–2 with an 8.59 ERA in 8 games. He was released on 9 April.

Los Angeles Dodgers (second stint)

Sánchez signed a minor league contract with the

on 13 December 2013. He was released March 2014.

Chinatrust Brothers

He joined the Chinatrust Brothers in the

for the 2014 season. Sánchez pitched to a 2.00 ERA in 27 innings mostly out of the bullpen.

T&A San Marino

For the 2015 season, Sánchez signed with T&A San Marino of the

Italian Baseball League The Italian Baseball League (IBL, ), officially known as the Serie A (), is the top-level baseball league in Italy. Founded in 1948, it is governed by the Italian Baseball & Softball Federation (FIBS), which has its headquarters in Rome. Many o ...

. He allowed a 5.59 ERA in just 9.2 innings of work. San Marino removed him from the roster in April.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Romulo 1984 births Living people Altoona Curve players Brother Elephants players Cardenales de Lara players Durham Bulls players Gulf Coast Pirates players Hickory Crawdads players Indianapolis Indians players Leones del Caracas players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Mexican League baseball pitchers New York Yankees players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Olmecas de Tabasco players Pittsburgh Pirates players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Baseball players from Caracas T & A San Marino players Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Japan Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in San Marino Venezuelan Summer League Pirates players World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2013 World Baseball Classic players Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Belgium