Vicente Padilla

Infobox MLB player


width=150
name=Vicente Padilla
position=Starting pitcher
team=Texas Rangers
number=44
bats=Switch
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1977|9|27
birthplace=Chinandega, Nicaragua
debutdate=June 29
debutyear=1999
debutteam=Arizona Diamondbacks
statyear=2008 season
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=86-79
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=4.31
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=880
teams=
*Arizona Diamondbacks (by|1999–by|2000)
*Philadelphia Phillies (by|2000–by|2005)
*Texas Rangers (by|2006–present)

Vicente de la Cruz Padilla (born September 27, 1977 in Chinandega, Nicaragua) is a Nicaraguan right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers. He has also played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and, most notably, the Philadelphia Phillies. He is known for his 96 mph (154 km/h) fastball and devastating curveball.

Padilla was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Phillies on July 26, mlby|2000, along with three other players for pitcher Curt Schilling. Padilla battled injuries during the mlby|2004 and mlby|2005 seasons, posting a combined win-loss record of 16–19. While with the Phillies, Padilla was a member of the mlby|2002 National League All-Star Team, posting a 14–11 win-loss record with a 3.28 ERA. He had a Phan Phavorites group which called themselves "Padilla's Flotilla", a takeoff on his name and Hispanic ethnicity.

In the 2005–mlby|2006 offseason, Padilla was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ricardo Rodríguez after a disappointing 2005 season in which he posted a 4.71 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. During the 2006 season, he also came under fire for his now infamous "lack of control" on the mound. Padilla caused a controversy in Chicago when he twice hit White Sox catcher A. J. Pierzynski, and later in the season again caused a benches-clearing brawl against the Angels when he repeatedly threw at Angels batters, showing particular interest in slugger Vladimir Guerrero. On September 16, mlby|2007, Padilla hit Oakland Athletics outfielder Nick Swisher after two pitches earlier in the plate appearances were inside that almost hit Swisher. Swisher then charged the mound starting a brawl and resulting in both players getting ejected.

Padilla has also been criticized for taking an extremely long time to deliver the pitch to home.Fact|July 26, 2008|date=July 2008

During the 2006-07 offseason, Padilla signed a three-year, $33.75 million contract (with an option for a fourth year) with the Texas Rangers.

The 2002 All-Star Game "tie controversy"

Padilla was the pitcher on the mound when the 2002 All-Star game was ruled a tie in the 11th inning. Due to the fact that Padilla was the only remaining pitcher on the NL team and he could not pitch any more innings, the game was called. His opponent at the time was Seattle's Freddy Garcia. It has been suggested that Padilla was the player about whom Peter Gammons was speaking when he said, "The reason the 2002 All-Star Game ended up tied was that a pitcher on one of the two teams was imbibing in the clubhouse and was not in condition to pitch, hence the game ended." [http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/01/25/did-vicente-padilla-ruin-the-all-star-game/]

External links

*baseballstats|mlb=218894
*baseball-reference|id=p/padilvi01