Julio Machado

{{Infobox baseball biography

|image=

|name=Julio Machado

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1965|12|1}}

|birth_place=San Carlos del Zulia, Venezuela

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 7

|debutyear=1989

|debutteam=New York Mets

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=October 6

|finalyear=1991

|finalteam=Milwaukee Brewers

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=7–5

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=3.12

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=151

|teams=

New York Mets ({{mlby|1989}}–{{mlby|1990}})
Milwaukee Brewers ({{mlby|1990}}–{{mlby|1991}})

}}

Julio Segundo Machado Rondón (born December 1, 1965) is a Venezuelan former Major League Baseball (MLB) right-handed relief pitcher who played for the New York Mets (1989–1990) and Milwaukee Brewers (1990–1991). Machado's MLB career was cut short when he was imprisoned on involuntary murder charges in Venezuela. He later coached and played in Venezuelan winter baseball leagues.

MLB career

Machado started his career with the Mets. He made his MLB debut in {{Baseball year|1989}} and started the {{Baseball year|1990}} season with the Mets as well. He was demoted to the Class AAA Tidewater team, where he saved eight games before being recalled to the Mets in July. At the time, the Mets were looking for consistent right-handed relief pitchers, having traded Roger McDowell the previous year.{{cite news|last1=Sexton|first1=Joe|title=Mets lose, seek help for the bullpen|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/23/sports/mets-lose-seek-help-for-the-bullpen.html|accessdate=August 2, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=23 July 1990}}

Later that season, Machado was traded to the Brewers, along with pitcher Kevin Brown, in exchange for catcher Charlie O'Brien and a minor league player.

Machado had a decent fastball, good control and willingness to challenge hitters. He also pitched a better-than-average curveball and a slider.

In a three-year career, Machado posted a 7–5 record with 151 strikeouts and a 3.12 ERA in 147 innings.

Shooting

Spending the 1991 offseason in his homeland, Machado fatally shot a woman following an auto accident on December 8. More than two weeks later, Machado was missing and the Brewers said that they were planning for 1992 with the assumption that Machado would not be on the team. Though he was described as a fugitive, Venezuelan reporters said that Machado would probably turn himself in after the holidays.{{Cite news |last=Haudricourt |first=Tom |date=1991-12-23 |title=Machado not in plans |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/title/qnjslabdenjjmbblumwpvoqmofcbzzor_ip-10-166-46-157_1739932500615 |access-date=2025-02-19 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |page=21 |via=GenealogyBank.com}} He was held in a Caracas prison while an investigation was carried out from the middle of January to early March. He admitted that he fired the shots, but he said that he did so in self-defense, afraid that he was being robbed.{{cite news |date=March 7, 1992 |title=Brewers' Machado leaves Venezuelan prison |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-07-sp-3520-story.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715151228/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-07-sp-3520-story.html |archive-date=2022-07-15 |access-date=August 2, 2016 |work=Los Angeles Times}}

When Machado was granted conditional freedom pending a trial on charges of involuntary murder, he was not allowed to leave Venezuela. Shortly thereafter, thieves stole the car of the prosecutor in Machado's case and they set it on fire.{{cite news|title=Another knee problem for Fernandez|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-14-sp-3224-story.html|access-date=2 August 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|date=14 March 1992}} Machado was convicted and, following appeals, he was sentenced to 12 years in 1996.{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fO4bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AFMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2686,4153158&dq=julio+machado+murder&hl=en | title=Ex-pitcher sentenced | work = The Dispatch | date=1996-08-16}} He was released in 2000.{{cite web |title=MLB Players Who Did Time in Prison |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/Baseball_Players_Who_Did_Time_in_Prison.shtml |access-date=11 February 2021 |website=Baseball Almanac |language=en-us}}