"Perez has a chance to rank with the best right-handers in the league. He was acquired from the White Sox along with Bob Wickman and Domingo Jean for Steve Sax and cash prior to last season and gave the Yankees much more than they had hoped.
He used a nasty split-finger fastball to rank second in the American League in strikeouts (218), 23 behind Seattle's Randy Johnson. Perez was the first Yankee right-hander to strike out 200 batters in a season since Bob Turley (210) in 1955. His strikeout total also was the third highest in Yankee history, trailing only Ron Guidry (248 in 1978) and Jack Chesbro (240 in 1904).
Perez ranked sixth in the AL in ERA (2.87) and in opponents' batting average (.235). He tied for fifth in innings pitched (247.2) and tied for fourth with 10 complete games. His only apparent flaw is a tendency toward early-inning trouble.
Born February 15, 1966, in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, he began his career with the Royals as a free agent signee in July 1983."
-Tony DeMarco (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) and Tom Pedulla (Gannett Newspapers), The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1993 Edition
"When the Yankees acquired right-handed starter Melido Perez before the 1992 season, they were hoping for a pitcher who could help solidify their rotation. What they received in return was a force on the mound.
The 27-year-old from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic not only led the Yankees in wins with 13, but his 2.87 ERA was sixth-best in the American League, all with limited run support. Perez turned out to be more than just solid, he was often dominating. And Yankee fans rejoiced when the righty inked a new four-year contract prior to spring training this year.
'I'm comfortable pitching here (in New York). They (the Yankees) let me pitch. They have confidence in me. That's something I want,' says Perez.
Manager Buck Showalter can now only smile at his 1-2-3 rotation of Jim Abbott, Perez and Jimmy Key, perhaps the most talented trio in the AL East. In a division showing signs of shifting powers, the impact of Perez's performance becomes even more crucial.
It was not long ago as a member of the Chicago White Sox that the pitcher was forced into the bullpen because of inconsistent starts. But times have changed. Upon his arrival in New York, Showalter promised Perez he would be given every opportunity to crack the starting rotation. He responded emphatically.
If his 10 complete games and 218 strikeouts from the '92 season are a prelude of what lies ahead, American League batsmen are in for a long season."
-The New York Yankees Official 1993 Yearbook
"Unlucky is the only word to characterize what should have been a run on the Cy Young Award for the Yankee right-hander. Perez posted a 13-16 record with a 2.87 ERA over 33 starts and led the Yankee staff in virtually every category. He struck out 218 hitters, tossed 10 complete games and held opponents to a .235 batting average. He was a consistent pitcher throughout the season, his ERA never rising above 3.19.
Perez made his Yankee debut on April 10 at Detroit, earning the win in a 7-3 Yankee victory (5.2 IP, 2 ER). He was winless in his final three April starts (0-2), getting a total of four runs of support.
He posted back-to-back winning months in May and June, combining to go 6-4 with a 3.15 ERA. He hurled his first complete game in a 3-2 loss at California on May 6. On June 1 at Texas, rain forced Melido to leave after four innings with a 3-1 lead. His second complete game also resulted in a loss, a 2-1 defeat at Kansas City on June 23. Melido ended the month by fanning 11 White Sox on June 28, one of three season-high 11-strikeout games in 1992.
At the break, he was 8-7 with a 3.11 ERA. In his first start after the break, Melido took a tough, 3-2 complete game loss at California, losing in the bottom of the 9th inning. He pitched a fine game in his next start, July 21 at Oakland, throwing a complete game 4-hitter in a 5-1 Yankee win, allowing just an unearned run.
Perez lost his first four August starts while getting a total of six runs of support. A 5-1 loss on August 11 at Detroit raised his ERA to a season high of 3.19. He ended the month by pitching eight shutout innings against the Angels and then throwing a complete game, 6-hit shutout on August 27, a 6-0 blanking of the Twins. Perez was 2-4 with a 2.39 ERA in August.
He did not allow a run over 19 innings over three starts (Aug. 22-Sept.1). He came back to post a 2.81 in September and capped the season with a 4-2 win at Cleveland on September 30.
In his final eight starts, Melido was 4-3 with a 2.08 ERA (65.0 IP, 53 H, 15 ER) and opponents hit just .213 (44-for-207). He was 5-9 with a 2.62 ERA after the break, fourth best in the American League. He made five starts in the Dominican Winter League for Azucareros, going 1-1 with a 2.40 ERA over 30 innings.
Perez led the staff and ranked No. 2 in the AL with 218 strikeouts. The last Yankee to finish as high as second was Ron Guidry in 1979 (201), behind Nolan Ryan (223). The last Yankee to lead the AL in strikeouts was Al Downing in 1964 (217). Perez's 218 K's ranked third most in Yankee history behind Guidry (248 in 1978) and Jack Chesbro (239 in 1904).
He also became the first Yankee to have 100 strikeouts before the All-Star break since Guidry (109) in 1979. He became the first Yankee right-hander to hit the century by the break since Bob Turley (131) in 1955.
His strikeout ratio improved in each of his first four years in the majors: 1987:4.4 ... 1988: 6.3 ... 1989: 6.9 ... 1990: 7.4 ... 1991: 8.5. In 1992 it was 7.9. His ratio of strikeouts per innings pitched in 1992 was third in the AL behind Randy Johnson and Jose Guzman. Melido struck out the side seven times during the season.
Last year Melido led the staff in wins, innings, walks, strikeouts and unearned runs allowed. He also led Yankee starters in opponent batting average (.235), ERA (2.87) and was tied for first in starts (33).
He ranked among American Leaders in strikeouts (2nd), K/IP (3rd), wild pitches (tied for 3rd), complete games (tied for 4th), innings pitched (5th), ERA (6th), walks (6th) and opponent batting average (6th). His 2.62 ERA in the second half ranked fourth in the AL behind Cal Eldred, Jim Abbott and Roger Clemens. Melido had seven pickoffs, tied with Jack McDowell for most among AL right-handers. He led the AL in road starts (20), road innings pitched (149) and road strikeouts (124).
Melido teamed with Scott Sanderson to become the first Yankee duo with at least 33 starts since Guidry and Phil Niekro had 33 each in 1985. His 10 complete games were the most by a Yankee since Guidry in 1985 (11). His eight complete game losses were the most by a Yankee since Jim Hunter (9) and the most in the AL since Bert Blyleven in 1985 (9).
Nine of Melido's 13 wins stopped losing streaks. He had a 2.34 ERA (84.2 IP, 22 ER) in his 10 complete games. In his eight complete game losses the Yanks supported him with a total of 13 runs; overall he had support of 3.8 runs per game. He tossed eight of his ten complete games in his last 16 starts. The bullpen stranded all four runners he left on base.
Perez threw 3,576 pitches, an average of 108 pitches per start and 15 pitches per inning. He pitched six-plus in 30 of 33 starts and made quality starts (6 IP, 3 ER or less) in 23 of 33 starts. Perez was hurt most by the first inning, posting an ERA of 4.64 (33.0 IP, 17 ER) and an opponent BA of .287; over the rest of the game his ERA was 2.60 with a .227 opponent BA. His best inning ERA-wise was the third (1.09 ERA, 33.0 IP, 4 ER) and strikeout-wise it was the eighth (20 K, 19.0 IP).
Right-handed batters hit .225 and left-handers hit .247 against him. Perez was 5-6 with a 3.01 ERA and a .224 opponent BA at home and on the road was 8-10 with a 2.78 ERA. In 15 starts against the AL East he was 6-6 with a 3.20 ERA (112.2 IP, 40 ER), and in 18 starts against the West was 7-10 with a 2.60 ERA (135.0 IP, 39 ER). Melido had a 2.40 ERA (97.1 IP, 26 ER) in his 13 wins, a 3.28 ERA (123.1 IP, 45 ER) in his 16 losses and a 2.67 ERA (27.0 IP, 8 ER) in his four no-decisions.
From July 8-21, Melido became the first Yankee to toss three straight complete games since Guidry, who tossed five straight in September of 1983. From July 26-August 17 he lost five straight for the first time in his career. His scoreless streak in August was his longest as a starter in his career and the longest by a Yankee since Andy Hawkins in 1989.
He signed a four-year contract on February 4, 1993. The contract runs through the 1996 season.
Acquired by the Yankees in January 1992 from the Chicago White Sox along with pitchers Domingo Jean and Bob Wickman in exchange for second baseman Steve Sax plus cash, Melido had an outstanding season in 1991 in his fourth full year in the majors.
He began the season as a starter for the White Sox, making eight starts and posting a 1-4 record with a 4.82 ERA. He was converted to a reliever, making his first career bullpen appearance on May 29 against California, after he had started 109 straight games.
He recorded a team best 20.1 consecutive innings scoreless streak from May 29-June 20. On June 15, he hurled the club's longest relief outing of the season against Kansas City when he pitched 7.2 scoreless innings. He recorded his first career save on September 6 at Texas (4.0 IP, 1 ER) in an 11-6 victory.
As a reliever Melido was 7-2 with a 2.22 ERA in 89 relief innings and tied for the club lead for wins by a reliever. He pitched at least 3.0 innings in 12 of his 41 relief appearances. He was 4-1 in one-run decisions and also 4-1 in extra-inning contests.
Melido excelled on the road, posting a 6-4 record with a 2.70 ERA. Left-handed hitters batted only .202 (45-for-223) against him, while right-handed hitters hit .243 (66-for-272).
In 1990 Perez set career highs in virtually every career category while going 13-14. He led the White Sox and was second in the American League with 35 starts and his three shutouts tied for third in the league. The starts were a career best as were his 161 strikeouts (2nd on the club), and his 197 innings pitched tied for his most in one season. Opponents batted only .241 against Perez, second best among Sox starters.
He became the 16th man in White Sox history to toss a no-hitter, a rain-shortened effort on July 12 at Yankee Stadium. He struck out nine and walked four. Pascual and Melido became the second set of brothers to pitch no-hitters, the other being Ken Forsch (1979) and Bob Forsch (1978 & 1983). It was the first no-hitter for Chicago since the one hurled by Joe Cowley on September 19, 1986. It was only the seventh time the Yankees have been no-hit and the first time since 1958 (Hoyt Wilhelm).
Melido's two other shutouts came on June 6 against Seattle and on September 17 against Oakland. He struck out a season high 10 batters on May 1 against Texas and on August 27 against Chicago.
Melido was signed by the Kansas City Royals as a free agent on July 22, 1983. His first professional season was spent at Charleston of the South Atlantic League in 1984 where he was 5-7 in 15 starts (16 games).
He spent the entire 1985 season with Eugene of the Northwest League compiling a 6-7 mark. He led the league in innings pitched (101.0) and was fourth in the league with 88 strikeouts. With Class-A Burlington in 1986, Perez posted a 10-12 record and a 3.70 ERA. He struck out a team leading 153 batters in 170.1 innings and led the Midwest League with 13 complete games (23 starts).
Perez started the 1987 season at Fort Meyers where he posted a 4-3 record and a 2.38 ERA. He was promoted to Memphis where he continued his success going 8-5 with a 3.53 ERA. Perez combined to strike out 177 while walking just 27 in 198.0 innings pitched.
He was called up to Kansas City when rosters expanded on September 1. He made his major league debut on September 4 at Chicago, earning the win (7.0 IP, 0 ER) in a 6-2 KC victory. He made three starts overall and was 1-1. He was acquired by the White Sox from the Royals in December 1987 along with pitchers John Davis, Chuck Mount and Greg Hibbard in exchange for pitcher Floyd Bannister and infielder Dave Cochrane.
In 1988 Melido established himself as a quality major league pitcher in his first full season in the bigs. He finished sixth in the American League Rookie of the Year balloting on the strength of a 10-8 record and 3.79 ERA. Melido was the first ChiSox rookie to win 10 or more games since Britt Burns and Richard Dotson in 1980. His 32 starts, 197.0 innings and 138 strikeouts led the club.
His first career complete game came on May 13 against Toronto in a 4-1 Chicago win. Melido was perfect in July, posting a 4-0 record and 3.86 ERA. He saved his best for last, blanking his former Royal teammates on October 1 at Kansas City, allowing two hits and striking 10 in a 3-0 White Sox victory.
Melido attended San Gregorio de Nigua High School in the Dominican Republic. He credits Luis Silverio for helping his career the most.
He has three brothers in professional baseball, Dario and Blavmir (Royals organization) and Carlos (Expos organization). He enjoys fishing in the off-season."
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led Northwest League in innings pitched (101.0), 1985.
Led Midwest League in complete games (13), 1986.
Threw six-inning, rain-shortened no-hitter at New York, July 12, 1990.
Led American League pitchers in errors (10), 1992.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Melido Gross Perez (P) #33
Born February 15, 1966, in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, resides in Costa Verde, Dominican Republic. Height: 6-4, weight: 210. Bats right, throws right.
Married, Isabel, and father of Melaney, Maleny and Melido, Jr.
Major league service: 5 years, 34 days. Opening Day age: 27.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
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