Pascual Perez faced hitters, troubles over 11 ML seasons
On his latest return to the majors in April 1989, Pascual Perez' manager Buck Rodgers assessed his troubled pitcher to Knight-Ridder Newspapers.
"Pascual's never been a problem to me," Rodgers told the service. "In the dugout, on the field, he's always done his work. His problem has been his idle time."
Perez' return then came after 55 days in drug rehab, what would be a reoccurring theme for the pitcher over his career. Despite his issues, which even saw him spend time in jail, Perez pitched in the majors over 11 seasons and even became an All Star in one.
Perez' career began in 1976, signed by the Pirates as an undrafted free agent out of his native Dominican Republic.
He started in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He made single-A Charleston in 1977, then AAA Portland in 1979. In May 1980, he debuted in Pittsburgh.
He debuted with a six-inning, three-earned-run effort that drew praise from his catcher Ed Ott, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"Perez had more poise than I've ever seen (for a first-timer)," Ott told The Post-Gazette afterward. "He threw 99.9 percent of the pitches I called."
Perez saw just two starts for the Pirates that year. He returned for 17 outings, 13 starts in 1981. He went 2-7, with a 3.96 ERA.
He then arrived with the Braves in a trade. He saw 16 outings in 1982, then 33 starts in 1983. His 1983 season saw him go 15-8, with a 3.43 ERA. He also became an All Star.
But then Perez' drug issues started to surface. In January 1984, he was arrested in the Dominican Republic on drug charges. He was held for three months before his release and return to the United States.
By December 1989, he'd checked into drug rehab centers three times.
Perez, however, quickly made it back to the mound in 1984 and started another 30 games. He went 14-8, with a 3.74 ERA.
He saw 22 starts for the Braves in 1985, then got released. He didn't play in 1986, but returned with the Expos in 1987 for another 10 starts. He went 12-8 in 1988 for Montreal, with a 2.44 ERA, then 9-13, with a 3.31 ERA in 1989.
For 1990, Perez signed a $5.7 million three-year contract with the Yankees.
"We all know about Pascual's history, but the Yankees are confident that he realized he's made mistakes and is ready to correct them," Yankees general manager Pete Peterson told Associated Press that March. "We feel he'll stay on the straight and narrow and be nothing but a plus for us. The bottom line is Pascual's a good person and a good pitcher."
Perez saw just three starts with the Yankees that year and one at high-A Fort Lauderdale, his season cut short by rotator cuff surgery.
He returned for 14 in 1991, but failed a drug test ahead of spring training 1992 and got suspended for a year. He didn't make it back to the majors. He's later credited as returning in 1996 for five final starts with China Times in Taiwan.
Perez passed away in 2012 at the age of 55.
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 8, 1980: Tanner Impressed By Perez's Debut
- Miami Herald, Knight-Ridder, April 12, 1989: Perez comes back ready to work
- Calgary Herald, Associated Press, March 29, 1990: 'Time bomb' ticking away in New York
Made the Majors:1,462-31.8%-X
Never Made Majors:3,141-68.2%