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Ed Figueroa
Baseball Pitcher
New York Yan kees
World Series Champs 1977-1978
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Eduardo Figueroa Padilla was born in Ciales, Puerto Rico. He is the only Major League Baseball pitcher from Puerto Rico to win twenty games in a regular major league season.
At the early age of seventeen he signed as a free agent with the New York Mets in 1966. He played for their affiliate the Winter Haven Mets, and the Raleigh-Durham Mets. He was called to take a draft physical in Puerto Rico. Upon his return three weeks later he hurt his arm. The Mets released him and Figueroa joined the United States Marine Corps, and spent the year in Vietnam. Figueroa returned to baseball upon his discharge from the Corps in 1970 and signed with the San Francisco Giants. He was later traded to the California Angels in 1973.
He made his first Major League debut in 1974 with the California Angels. When the Angels were behind 10-2 Figueroa took over in the eighth inning. He gave up only one hit in two innings. On July 6 in the game against Cleveland Indians he pitched a complete game. He only gave up one earned run while striking out six and scattering six hits. He left the Angels with a 16-13 record a solid 2.91 ERA. He was traded to the New York Yankees and joined their pitching staff in 1976 with an impressive 19-10 with a3.02 ERA and finished fourth in the American League CY Young Award. He went 13-2 for the remainder of the season to help lead the charge from fourteen games back to overtake the Boston Red Sox in the American League East.
The Texas Rangers purchased his contract on July 1980, but was later released. He signed with the Oakland Athletics where it was recorded a 3.34 ERA with the Pacific Coast League affiliate, the Tacoma Tigers earning a promotion to the majors. He made his final major league start on September 6 against the Baltimore Orioles. He was offered a minor league deal by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982 but chose to retire instead. During this time, Figueroa pitched for the Golf Coast Suns in 1989, and winter ball with the Lobos de Arecibo, Criollos de Caguas and Cangrejos de Santurce clubs of the Puerto Rico Baseball League. He led the league in wins on back-to- back seasons. Figueroa now lives in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and is the proud owner of two Mexican restaurants named Lupis in Old San Juan near the San Juan airport.