Ed Figueroa

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Eduardo Figueroa Padilla (born October 14, 1948, in Ciales, Puerto Rico), was a Major League Baseball player from 1974-1981 for the California Angels, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics. His best season came in 1978 with the Yankees as a starting pitcher, when he posted a won-loss record of 20-9 and helped the Yankees win the World Series. Figueroa was the first pitcher from Puerto Rico to win 20 games in a season.

After winning 16 games for the Angels in his second big-league season, Figueroa was traded with center fielder Mickey Rivers to the Yankees for All-Star outfielder Bobby Bonds (father of modern-day home-run king Barry Bonds) in December 1975. While not a glamorous strikeout pitcher in the vein of teammate "Louisiana Lightning" Ron Guidry or as charismatic (at least in name) as Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Figueroa nevertheless was one of the premier right-handers in the American League in his first three seasons in Yankee pinstripes. He won 55 games in 101 starts for the Yankees from 1976-1978, but injuries limited him to 10 wins and only 34 starts in his final four seasons. Figueroa ranked seventh in Cy Young Award balloting in 1978 and fourth in 1976.

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube

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