Arnie Muñoz

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Arnie Muñoz

|image=IMG 5905 Arnie Muñoz.jpg

|width=

|caption=Muñoz with the Washington Nationals in 2007

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Left

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1982|06|21}}

|birth_place=Mao, Dominican Republic

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=June 19

|debutyear=2004

|debutteam=Chicago White Sox

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 28

|finalyear=2007

|finalteam=Washington Nationals

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=0–1

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=9.15

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=14

|teams=

Chicago White Sox ({{mlby|2004}})
Washington Nationals ({{mlby|2007}})

}}

Arnaldo Rafel "Arnie" Muñoz (born June 21, 1982) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. Muñoz batted and threw left-handed.

Career

Muñoz made his major league debut in {{mlby|2004}} for the Chicago White Sox in a start against the Montreal Expos.{{cite web|author=Moussette, Pierre |title=Muñoz to debut against Expos |date=2004-06-19 |url=http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20040619&content_id=774550&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws |access-date=2007-09-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527145336/http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20040619&content_id=774550&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws |archive-date=2011-05-27 }} It was a disaster, as Muñoz allowed eleven runs in three innings (including nine in the second inning alone), tying for third all-time for most runs allowed in a major league debut. By game score, it was the worst debut start since earned runs became official in 1913.{{cite web |title=Player Pitching Game Finder |url=https://stathead.com/tiny/CWpkl |website=Stathead.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=17 May 2022 |language=en}} Muñoz went back to the minors, then returned in September, pitching fairly well in relief.

=2007=

Muñoz's contract was purchased by the Washington Nationals in September {{mlby|2007}}. Muñoz became the Nationals' left-handed specialist after the team traded Ray King to the Milwaukee Brewers.{{cite web | author = Ladson, Bill | title = Nationals trade King to Brewers | date = 2007-09-04 | url = http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070904&content_id=2188359&vkey=news_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=was | access-date = 2007-09-04 | archive-date = 2012-02-05 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120205185148/http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070904&content_id=2188359&vkey=news_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=was | url-status = dead }}

=2008–present=

Before the start of the season, it was not certain whom the Nationals would use as their left-handed specialist. Although neither was on the 40-man roster, both Muñoz{{cite news|author=Svrluga, Barry |title=Calm before the storm? (With some minor news) |date=2007-11-27 |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2007/11/calm_before_the_storm.html |access-date=2008-02-02 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523095940/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2007/11/calm_before_the_storm.html |archive-date=2011-05-23 }} and Ray King{{cite news | title = Nats Agree to Terms With King, Orr for Spring Training | date = 2007-12-16 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/15/AR2007121501719.html | access-date = 2008-02-02 | newspaper=The Washington Post}} were invited to spring training. However, Muñoz was assigned to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators of the Eastern League at the end of the preseason. He became a free agent at the end of the season; he did not play in 2009.

In 2010, Muñoz pitched for Petroleros de Minatitlan of the Mexican League, compiling a 1–2 record and a 2.77 ERA, in what was his last year as a professional ballplayer.