Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Odalis Pérez tragically passed away at the age of 43 after an accident at his home in the Dominican Republic.
The left-hander signed with the Atlanta Braves as an amateur free agent in 1994 and made his MLB debut four years later. He played three seasons with the organization before being traded to the Dodgers in January 2002 as part of the blockbuster that sent Gary Sheffield to Atlanta.
Pérez’s first season with the Dodgers was successful as he posted career-bests in wins (15), ERA (3.00), innings pitched (222.1), strikeouts (155), FIP (3.36) and WHIP (0.99) en route to earning his only All-Star Game selection.
Pérez spent parts of five seasons in L.A., going 45-40 with a 3.94 ERA, 3.98 FIP and 1.19 WHIP with 531 strikeouts against 169 walks over 772 innings pitched (132 games, 120 starts).
The Los Angeles Dodgers mourn the passing of former pitcher and 2002 All-Star Odalis Pérez. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/abX1cgUNNP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 11, 2022
The Dodgers traded Pérez and two Minor League players to the Kansas City Royals at the 2006 MLB non-waiver trade deadline for relief pitcher Elmer Dessens.
Pérez pitched for the Royals over the next one-and-a-half seasons before closing out his career with the Washington Nationals in 2008. Pérez was the club’s Opening Day starter that year and most notably threw the first pitch at Nationals Park.
In 10 MLB seasons, Pérez went 73-82 with a 4.46 ERA, 4.21 FIP and 1.35 WHIP with 920 strikeouts against 388 walks across 1,335 innings pitched (252 games, 221 starts).
Dodgers losses since 2021
Since the start of 2021, the Dodgers organization has mourned the deaths of Sandra Scully, Tommy and Jo Lasorda, Stan Williams, Mike Marshall, Solly Drake, Julio Lugo and Don Demeter, among others.
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