José DeLeón

José DeLeón Chestaro (December 20, 1960 – February 25, 2024) was a Dominican professional baseball right-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos, over all or parts of 13 seasons (1983–1995). DeLeón was the National League (NL) strikeout leader, in 1989, while with the Cardinals.

Career
DeLeón was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 1979 amateur draft. He made his MLB debut in 1983 with the Pirates. In July 1986, the Pirates traded him to the Chicago White Sox for Bobby Bonilla. In February 1988, the White Sox traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ricky Horton and Lance Johnson. In 1989, DeLeón led the National League in strikeouts with 201.

After his release from the Cardinals in August 1992, DeLeón signed with the Philadelphia Phillies the next month. In August 1993, he was traded from the Phillies to the Chicago White Sox for Bobby Thigpen. In August 1995 the White Sox traded him to the Montreal Expos for Jeff Shaw.

DeLeón twice led the NL in losses, posting a record of 2–19 in 1985, for the Pirates, and 7–19 in 1990 with the Cardinals. For his career, he compiled a win–loss record of 86–119, in 415 appearances, with a 3.76 earned run average (ERA), and 1,594 strikeouts in 1,897.1 innings pitched.

Death
DeLeón died on February 25, 2024, after a battle with cancer. He was 63.