Ruddy Joraider Lugo is a Dominican-American Major League Baseball

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 relief pitcher

Relief pitcher

A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...

 in the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

 organization. Lugo is the younger brother of Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

 shortstop

Shortstop

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

 Julio Lugo

Julio Lugo

Julio Cesar Lugo is a Dominican professional baseball infielder but is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed. Lugo is the older brother of baseball pitcher Ruddy Lugo....

. He attended Xaverian High School

Xaverian High School

Xaverian High School is a private, college-preparatory school located in Brooklyn, New York The school was founded in 1957 by the Xaverian Brothers. The school is a member of the Catholic High School Athletic Association . Xaverian is governed by a president and board of trustees...

 (famous alumni include Chris Mullin

Chris Mullin (basketball)

Christopher Paul Mullin is a retired American basketball player and former general manager of the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He has also been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame....

 and Rich Aurilia

Rich Aurilia

Richard Santo Aurilia is a former Major League Baseball player, mainly as a shortstop. He bats and throws right-handed.The 24th round pick of the Texas Rangers in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Aurilia worked in the Rangers minor league system before being traded with first baseman Desi...

) in Brooklyn, New York.

Lugo was born in in Barahona

Barahona

Barahona is a province of the Dominican Republic.The Barahona Coast is located on the southwestern part of the Dominican Republic approximately three hours drive from Santo Domingo the capital of the Dominican Republic....

, Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

, and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 in the 3rd round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft

1999 Major League Baseball Draft

The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999...

. During spring training

Spring training

In Major League Baseball, spring training is 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 existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

 , he was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...

. He then started the season with the Single-A Visalia Oaks

Visalia Oaks

The Visalia Rawhide are a minor league baseball team in Visalia, California, U.S. They are a Class A - Advanced team of the Arizona Diamondbacks operating in the California League and have recently agreed to renew their affiliation through 2012....

 and finished it with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits

Montgomery Biscuits

The Montgomery Biscuits are a minor league baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. The team is the Class AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and plays in the Southern League. The 2004 season was the team's first in Montgomery...

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

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

. In June , 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....

 claimed him off of 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

John Maine

John Kevin Maine is an American professional baseball pitcher. He has played for the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets. He bats and throws right-handed.-Early life and college:Maine was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia...

 and Billy Wagner

Billy Wagner

William Edward Wagner , nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He pitched for the Houston Astros , the Philadelphia Phillies , the New York Mets , the Boston Red Sox , and the Atlanta Braves...

. After being a starter for the New Orleans Zephyrs

New Orleans Zephyrs

The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field....

 in Triple-A

AAA (baseball)

Triple-A refers to the highest level of play in minor league baseball in the United States and Mexico.-Purpose:Triple-A teams' main purpose is to prepare players for the Major Leagues:...

, Lugo was placed in the bullpen

Bullpen

In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...

 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.

Ruddy Lugo was released by the Toledo Mud Hens in July . He is currently signed with the independent Atlantic League Long Island Ducks, as a starting pitcher, for the 2011 season.

Lugo is most well known for his nickname Pepere', given to him by his close friends and family.

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