Pedro Ramos

Pedro Ramos Guerra (born April 28, 1935) is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and the expansion Washington Senators, all of the American League (AL), and the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds, all of the National League (NL), over the course of a 15-year career (1955–1967; 1969–1970). Ramos was elected to the AL All-Star team in 1959. He led the league in losses four times, in 1958 (18), 1959 (19), 1960 (18), and 1961 (20). On April 11, 1961, in the Twins’ first game ever, Ramos was the winning pitcher, when the team defeated the Yankees, 6–0, at Yankee Stadium.

A starter most of his career, "Pete" Ramos became an unexpected sensation in September 1964 after being traded from the Indians to the Yankees for $75,000 and two players to be named later (after the season, the Indians received Ralph Terry and Bud Daley). In 13 appearances for the Yankees, all in relief, Ramos saved eight games and posted a 1.25 earned-run average as the Yankees barely held off the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles down the pennant stretch. In 21 innings, Ramos struck out 21 batters and walked none. Because the trade came after August 31, Ramos was not eligible to pitch in the World Series, which New York lost in seven games to the Bob Gibson-led St. Louis Cardinals.

As a Senator, in his second big-league season, Ramos surrendered one of the more memorable home runs in the career of Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle. On May 30, 1956, Mantle tore into a Ramos pitch and nearly drove it out of Yankee Stadium, hitting the facade of the top deck in right field. In their heyday, Ramos and Mantle were considered among the fastest runners in the major leagues. Mantle and Ramos raced with Ramos stumbling at the start, Mantle winning.

As a hitter, Ramos was an occasional home run threat. He posted a .155 batting average (109-for-703) with 76 runs, hitting 15 home runs with 56 RBI. Defensively, he recorded a .977 fielding percentage, which was 19 points higher than the league average at his position.