Camilo Pascual
Encyclopedia
Camilo Alberto Pascual (born January 20, 1934 in Havana, Cuba) is a former Major League Baseball
right-handed pitcher
. During an 18-year baseball career (1954–1971), he played for the Washington Senators (which became the Minnesota Twins
in 1961), the second Washington Senators franchise, Cincinnati Reds
, Los Angeles Dodgers
, and the Cleveland Indians
. He was also known by the nicknames "Camile" and "Little Potato."
Pascual's best pitches were his fastball and devastating overhand curveball, described by Ted Williams
as the "most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years". Over his career, he compiled 174 wins
, 2,167 strikeout
s, and a 3.63 earned run average
. He was elected to the American League All-Star
team 5 times (-). In the 1961 All-Star Game, he pitched three hitless innings and struck out four.
and two Class-C teams, the Big Spring Broncs in the Longhorn League
and Geneva Robins
in the New York Border League
. Pascual would finish the season with a combined record of 5-4 with a 4.64 ERA and 46 walks in 64 innings. Despite his less than overwhelming stats, the 18 year old Pascual was signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent prior to the start of the 1952 season. Pascual would spend the 1952 season in Class-B pitching for the Havana Cubans and the Tampa Smokers
in the Florida International League
, improving to an 8-6 record with a 2.88 ERA and only 66 walks
in 122 innings
over 24 games. He would be back at Havana for the entire 1953 season and would compile similar stats as the year before (10-6, 3.00 ERA, 68 walks, 141 Inn in 25 games). Following the season, he would play for his hometown Elefantes de Cienfuegos competing for the Caribbean World Series
. He would continue to play for Cienfuegos or Tigres del Marianao until Fidel Castro
closed the country in 1961.
Pascual would go north with the Senators in 1954 and would make his major league debut on 15 April, mopping up the last 3 innings of a 6-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox
for losing pitcher Bob Porterfield
. the 20 year old Pascual would put in an encouraging rookie season for the 66-88 Senators, finishing 4-7 with a 4.22 ERA, 3 saves and one complete game
in 48 appearances (3 starts). However walks would continue to plague the young pitcher, as he would finish the season with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of less than one (60 strikeout
s and 61 walks). Pascaul would continue to be used primarily as a reliever in 1955 and would improve his strikeout ratio, but this would be about the only statistic where he would improve on over his rookie season as he would finish with a 2-12 record and 6.14 ERA - mirroring the club as a whole which won only 53 games. However, Pascual would steadily improve, lowering his ERA and increasing his Win total every year from 1955 to 1959, and he would be named to his first of four consecutive All-Star teams in 1959. Pascual would finish 1959 at 17-10, with a 2.64 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 238 2/3 innings and leading the league in both complete games (33) and shutouts (6), while also receiving some support in the MVP balloting.
The period from 1959 to 1964 would see Pascaul's peak years. He would win at least 12 games every season (wining 21 in 1963), with an ERA no higher than 3.46 (lowering it to 2.64 in 1964), while leading the league in complete games, shutouts, and strikeouts three times each and racking up all five of his All-Star games appearances. 1965 would see the Twins/Washington franchise return to the World Series for the first time since Washington lost the 1933 series to the New York Giants. However, after starting the season 8-2, injuries limited Pascual to nine relatively ineffective second-half starts and he lost his World Series matchup with Claude Osteen
in Game 3. Pascual would continue to have arm problems in 1966 and would pitch only 103 innings in 21 games, both career lows.
Seeing the writing on the wall, the Twins would trade Pascual and once-promising second baseman Bernie Allen
on December 3, 1966 to the new Washington Senators for 35-year-old relief pitcher Ron Kline
. Although no longer over-powering or the durable innings-eater he had once been, Pascual would have a minor renaissance during the 1967 and 1968 seasons while in Washington winning a total of 25 games while leading the Senator' staff in wins and finishing second in both innings and strikeouts both seasons. However Pascual would get off to a brutal start in 1969 (2-5, 6.83 ERA, 38 walks in 55 1/3 innings) and Washington would sell him to the Cincinnati Reds on July 7, where he gave up seven runs in seven innings over the rest of the year. Unable to make the club in spring training 1970, the Reds released Pascual on April 13 with the Los Angeles Dodgers signing him the same day. He would pitch for the Dodgers until August and for the Cleveland Indians for the first half of the 1971 season, but would only see action in a total of 19 games and he would retire at the end of the season.
Over his career, Pascual led the league in strikeouts in 1961 (221), 1962 (206), and 1963 (202) and as at the start of the 2011 season, he is 55th on the all-time strikeout list. However, he was also in the top 10 in the league in walks and home runs allowed five times in his career and is 84th and 90th all-time in those categories as of the start of the 2011 season. Pascual led the league in complete games three times (1959, 62, 63), and came in second two more times (1961, 64). Pascual was a 20-game winner twice, in 1962-63, and also finished with a career-high in complete games (18) in both of those seasons.
. Since 1989, he has worked as international scout for the Oakland Athletics
, New York Mets
, and the Los Angeles Dodgers
, for whom he currently scouts Venezuela. Among the major leaguers Pascual has signed are Jose Canseco
, Alex Cora
, Omar Daal
, Miguel Cairo
, and Franklin Gutierrez
.
In 1983, Pascual was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame
. On May 29, 2010, Pascual was elected in the inaugural class of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame at the Roman Amphitheater in Altos de Chavón
, in the Dominican Republic.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. During an 18-year baseball career (1954–1971), he played for the Washington Senators (which became the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in 1961), the second Washington Senators franchise, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, and the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. He was also known by the nicknames "Camile" and "Little Potato."
Pascual's best pitches were his fastball and devastating overhand curveball, described by Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
as the "most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years". Over his career, he compiled 174 wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
, 2,167 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s, and a 3.63 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
. He was elected to the American League All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
team 5 times (-). In the 1961 All-Star Game, he pitched three hitless innings and struck out four.
Playing career
As a 17 year old, Pascaul left Havana and spent the 1951 season as a minor league free agent pitching for the Class-D Chickasha Chiefs in the Oklahoma Sooner State LeagueSooner State League
The Sooner State League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1947 through 1957. The league owners kept it alive in 1958, anticipating a return to play in 1959. However, when only Ardmore and Paris, Texas, were able to secure working agreements, the League folded on February 12,...
and two Class-C teams, the Big Spring Broncs in the Longhorn League
Longhorn League
The Longhorn League was the name of a Minor league baseball circuit that operated from through in the Southwestern United States. In , it was renamed the Southwestern League and operated through before changing its name to the Sophomore League....
and Geneva Robins
Geneva Robins
The Geneva Robins were a "Class C" Minor League Baseball team that played in the Border League from 1947-1951. The team, based in Geneva, New York was originally the Geneva Red Birds in 1947 before changing their name to the Robins in 1948. The team was briefly affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers...
in the New York Border League
Border League
For the defunct baseball league, see Border League The Border League, is the oldest established rugby union league in the World, having been formed in 1901...
. Pascual would finish the season with a combined record of 5-4 with a 4.64 ERA and 46 walks in 64 innings. Despite his less than overwhelming stats, the 18 year old Pascual was signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent prior to the start of the 1952 season. Pascual would spend the 1952 season in Class-B pitching for the Havana Cubans and the Tampa Smokers
Tampa Smokers
The Tampa Smokers was a name used from 1919 to 1954 by a series of minor league and semi-professional baseball teams based in Tampa, Florida. The nickname was a nod to the local cigar industry, which was the most important industry in Tampa during the years in which the Smokers were active.-Florida...
in the Florida International League
Florida International League
The Florida International League was a lower- to mid-level circuit in American and Cuban minor league baseball that existed from 1946 through July 27, 1954. It was designated Class C for its first three seasons, then upgraded to Class B in 1949 for the final 5½ years of its existence.The FIL...
, improving to an 8-6 record with a 2.88 ERA and only 66 walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
in 122 innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
over 24 games. He would be back at Havana for the entire 1953 season and would compile similar stats as the year before (10-6, 3.00 ERA, 68 walks, 141 Inn in 25 games). Following the season, he would play for his hometown Elefantes de Cienfuegos competing for the Caribbean World Series
Caribbean World Series
The Caribbean Series , also called the Caribbean World Series is the highest baseball tournament at club level in Latin America. The league winners from the Winter Leagues of Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela participate in the tournament...
. He would continue to play for Cienfuegos or Tigres del Marianao until Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
closed the country in 1961.
Pascual would go north with the Senators in 1954 and would make his major league debut on 15 April, mopping up the last 3 innings of a 6-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
for losing pitcher Bob Porterfield
Bob Porterfield
Erwin Coolidge "Bob" Porterfield is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for twelve seasons between 1948 and 1959 for the New York Yankees, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs...
. the 20 year old Pascual would put in an encouraging rookie season for the 66-88 Senators, finishing 4-7 with a 4.22 ERA, 3 saves and one complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
in 48 appearances (3 starts). However walks would continue to plague the young pitcher, as he would finish the season with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of less than one (60 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and 61 walks). Pascaul would continue to be used primarily as a reliever in 1955 and would improve his strikeout ratio, but this would be about the only statistic where he would improve on over his rookie season as he would finish with a 2-12 record and 6.14 ERA - mirroring the club as a whole which won only 53 games. However, Pascual would steadily improve, lowering his ERA and increasing his Win total every year from 1955 to 1959, and he would be named to his first of four consecutive All-Star teams in 1959. Pascual would finish 1959 at 17-10, with a 2.64 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 238 2/3 innings and leading the league in both complete games (33) and shutouts (6), while also receiving some support in the MVP balloting.
The period from 1959 to 1964 would see Pascaul's peak years. He would win at least 12 games every season (wining 21 in 1963), with an ERA no higher than 3.46 (lowering it to 2.64 in 1964), while leading the league in complete games, shutouts, and strikeouts three times each and racking up all five of his All-Star games appearances. 1965 would see the Twins/Washington franchise return to the World Series for the first time since Washington lost the 1933 series to the New York Giants. However, after starting the season 8-2, injuries limited Pascual to nine relatively ineffective second-half starts and he lost his World Series matchup with Claude Osteen
Claude Osteen
Claude Wilson Osteen , nicknamed "Gomer" because of his resemblance to Gomer Pyle, is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for six different teams: the Cincinnati Redlegs/Reds , Washington Senators , Los Angeles Dodgers , Houston Astros , St...
in Game 3. Pascual would continue to have arm problems in 1966 and would pitch only 103 innings in 21 games, both career lows.
Seeing the writing on the wall, the Twins would trade Pascual and once-promising second baseman Bernie Allen
Bernie Allen
Bernard Keith "Bernie" Allen was a Major League Baseball player for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Senators, New York Yankees, and Montreal Expos. At 6' 0" and 185 lbs, Allen was a second-baseman for most of his career...
on December 3, 1966 to the new Washington Senators for 35-year-old relief pitcher Ron Kline
Ron Kline
Ronald Lee Kline was a former professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of seventeen seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta...
. Although no longer over-powering or the durable innings-eater he had once been, Pascual would have a minor renaissance during the 1967 and 1968 seasons while in Washington winning a total of 25 games while leading the Senator' staff in wins and finishing second in both innings and strikeouts both seasons. However Pascual would get off to a brutal start in 1969 (2-5, 6.83 ERA, 38 walks in 55 1/3 innings) and Washington would sell him to the Cincinnati Reds on July 7, where he gave up seven runs in seven innings over the rest of the year. Unable to make the club in spring training 1970, the Reds released Pascual on April 13 with the Los Angeles Dodgers signing him the same day. He would pitch for the Dodgers until August and for the Cleveland Indians for the first half of the 1971 season, but would only see action in a total of 19 games and he would retire at the end of the season.
Over his career, Pascual led the league in strikeouts in 1961 (221), 1962 (206), and 1963 (202) and as at the start of the 2011 season, he is 55th on the all-time strikeout list. However, he was also in the top 10 in the league in walks and home runs allowed five times in his career and is 84th and 90th all-time in those categories as of the start of the 2011 season. Pascual led the league in complete games three times (1959, 62, 63), and came in second two more times (1961, 64). Pascual was a 20-game winner twice, in 1962-63, and also finished with a career-high in complete games (18) in both of those seasons.
Facts
- Pascual is the younger brother of former major league pitcher Carlos PascualCarlos PascualCarlos Alberto Pascual Lus is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The 5'6", 165 lb. right-hander was signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before the 1949 season, and he played for the Senators in 1950. Nicknamed "Big Potato" Carlos Alberto Pascual Lus (13 March 1931 – 12...
, whose nickname of Potato earned Pascual the nickname of Little Potato.
- He was only one of seven players to donning the uniform of both the original and expansion Washington Senators teams, being the others Don MincherDon Mincher-External links:***...
, Pedro RamosPedro RamosPedro Ramos Guerra was a Major League pitcher with a 15-year career from 1955 to 1967, and again from 1969 to 1970...
, Johnny SchaiveJohnny SchaiveJohn Edward Schaive was a backup second and third baseman who played in Major League Baseball between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 8", 175 lb., Schaive batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Springfield, Illinois.Schaive spent 14 years in baseball as a player, manager, coach and scout...
, Roy SieversRoy SieversRoy Edward Sievers is a former first baseman/left fielder in Major League Baseball. From through , Sievers played for the St. Louis Browns , the original Washington Senators , Chicago White Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , and finally the new Senators...
, Zoilo VersallesZoilo VersallesZoilo Casanova Versalles Rodriguez , nicknamed "Zorro", was a Cuban shortstop in Major League Baseball, who was considered a solid leadoff man, and a good baserunner whose speed helped him to cover a huge area at shortstop...
and Hal WoodeshickHal WoodeshickHarold Joseph Woodeshick was an American left-handed pitcher who spent eleven seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers , Cleveland Indians , both Washington Senators , Houston Colt .45s/Astros and St. Louis Cardinals...
.
Retirement
After his playing career ended, Pascual retired to Miami where he had lived since 1960. From 1978-1980, Pascual was the Minnesota Twins pitching coach for manager Gene MauchGene Mauch
Gene William Mauch was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs , Boston Braves , St...
. Since 1989, he has worked as international scout for the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, and the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, for whom he currently scouts Venezuela. Among the major leaguers Pascual has signed are Jose Canseco
José Canseco
José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...
, Alex Cora
Alex Cora
José Alexander "Alex" Cora is a Major League Baseball infielder. He played college baseball at the University of Miami.-Early career:...
, Omar Daal
Omar Daal
Omar Jesús Daal Cordero is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for 11 seasons, from through . Daal played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Montreal Expos , Toronto Blue Jays , Arizona Diamondbacks , Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles...
, Miguel Cairo
Miguel Cairo
Miguel Jesús Cairo is a Major League Baseball utility player who is currently with the Cincinnati Reds. He has mostly played second base during his career, but has played every position in baseball except catcher and pitcher. He currently plays mostly third base, in place of Scott Rolen during his...
, and Franklin Gutierrez
Franklin Gutiérrez
Franklin Rafael Gutiérrez , nicknamed "Guti" & "Death To Flying Things", is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Seattle Mariners...
.
In 1983, Pascual was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame
Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame
The Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame is a hall of fame that honors eminent baseball players from the pre-revolution Cuban League. Established in 1939, by 1961 it had honored 68 players whose names are shown on a marble plaque at Havana's Estadio Latinoamericano...
. On May 29, 2010, Pascual was elected in the inaugural class of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame at the Roman Amphitheater in Altos de Chavón
Altos de Chavón
The biggest attraction in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is Altos de Chavón, a re-creation of a medieval European village conceived from the imagination of Roberto Copa, a former Paramount Studios set designer, and Charles Bluhdorn....
, in the Dominican Republic.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
- List of Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers
- List of Washington Senators Opening Day starting pitchers
- Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all timeTop 100 strikeout pitchers of all timeIn baseball, a strikeout occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. Strikeouts are associated with dominance on the part of the pitcher and failure on the part of the batter....