Pedro Astacio

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Pedro Astacio

|image=Pedro Astacio.jpg

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1968|11|28}}

|birth_place=Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=July 3

|debutyear=1992

|debutteam=Los Angeles Dodgers

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 27

|finalyear=2006

|finalteam=Washington Nationals

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=129–124

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=4.67

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=1,664

|teams=

Los Angeles Dodgers ({{mlby|1992}}–{{mlby|1997}})
Colorado Rockies ({{mlby|1997}}–{{mlby|2001}})
Houston Astros ({{mlby|2001}})
New York Mets ({{mlby|2002}}–{{mlby|2003}})
Boston Red Sox ({{mlby|2004}})
Texas Rangers ({{mlby|2005}})
San Diego Padres ({{mlby|2005}})
Washington Nationals ({{mlby|2006}})

}}

Pedro Julio Astacio (born November 28, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He has played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1992–1997), Colorado Rockies (1997–2001), Houston Astros (2001), New York Mets (2002–2003), Boston Red Sox (2004), Texas Rangers (2005), the San Diego Padres (2005) and the Washington Nationals (2006). In 2007, Astacio signed a contract with the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers, but they released him in May.

Biography

Astacio made national news when he tossed a shutout and fanned 10 in his major-league debut. Through 2021, he was the last pitcher to do this on his debut, and the first since Luis Tiant in 1964. {{cite web |title=Pitcher Game Finder |url=https://stathead.com/baseball/game_finder.cgi?request=1&match=basic&order_by_asc=0&order_by=date_game&year_min=1901&year_max=2021&firstgames=2&class=player&type=p&ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&cval%5B1%5D=10&cstat%5B1%5D=SO&age_min=0&age_max=99&Role=SHO&DR_comp=%3D&location=pob&locationMatch=is&temperature_max=120&wind_speed_max=90 |website=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=20 February 2022}}

He proceeded to record four shutouts in just 11 starts as a midseason call-up for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1992.{{Cite web|last=admin|title=Pedro Astacio – Society for American Baseball Research|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/pedro-astacio/|access-date=2021-06-08|language=en-US}} Since 1992, no pitcher has had four shutouts in his rookie season. {{cite web |title=Pitcher Season Finder |url=https://stathead.com/baseball/season_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&order_by_asc=0&order_by=SO&year_min=1980&year_max=2021&games_started=60&games_relieved=80&qualifiers=nomin&minIpVal=162&minDecVal=14&mingamesVal=40&type=p&ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&cval%5B1%5D=4&cstat%5B1%5D=SHO&age_min=0&age_max=99&season_start=1&season_end=-1&height_min=0&height_max=99&weight_min=0&weight_max=500&location=pob&locationMatch=is&date_type=dob&date_comp=%3D&month_val=0&day_val=0&year_val=0&franch_comp=%3D&is_rookie=Y&isHOF=either |website=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=20 February 2022}}

Astacio held the record for the most career strikeouts by a member of the Colorado Rockies for nearly 10 years, recording 749 strikeouts between 1997 and 2001.{{Cite web |title=Colorado Rockies Top 50 Career Pitching Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/COL/leaders_pitch_50.shtml |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} The record was broken by Ubaldo Jimenez in 2011. As of the 2021 season, he stands fifth on the Rockies' career list behind Jorge de la Rosa, Jon Gray, German Marquez and Ubaldo Jimenez.

He was also a member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox team that won the team's first World Series since 1918, although he did not play in the 2004 postseason.

References

Sources

Center, Bill, [http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20051220-9999-1s20padres.html "Padres, Astacio at odds"], Union-Tribune, December 20, 2005. accessed December 26, 2006.