"There is no questioning the heart of Melido Perez, or the repertoire of his pitches, for that matter. The only questions surrounding the Yankee right-hander are: Can he stay healthy? And when he's healthy, can he get any run support?
In his two years with the Yankees, Perez has displayed the tools that make him one of the game's most complete pitchers. His split-fingered fastball, considered by many to be one of the best in the game, has elevated his 28-year-old near the top echelon of the pitching ranks.
In 1992, his devious splitter helped place him among the league leaders in strikeouts (218), ERA (2.87) and innings pitched (247.2). In fact, a lack of run support was the only factor that kept Perez from contending for the '92 Cy Young Award.
In '93, Perez battled through a sore shoulder, which affected his control and his ability to get the proper movement on his splitter. 'I had a lot of problems with location,' says Perez. 'You can throw it 200 mph, but if you throw it over the middle of the plate, it's going to get hit.'
With the proper rest and off-season conditioning, Melido expects the arm to be 100 percent. The Yankees hope so. Last year the club challenged for a divisional crown without an effective Perez. What a difference it would make if he could regain his dominating splitter."
-The New York Yankees Official 1994 Yearbook
"Perez went 6-14 with a 5.19 ERA in 25 starts for the Yankees in an injury plagued 1993 season. He was scheduled to be the Yankees' Opening Day starter but started the season on the 15-day disabled list with an injury suffered in his last spring training start on March 31. Perez suffered a strained left hip flexor running out a sacrifice bunt attempt in his only plate appearance of spring training. It is his only career stint on the DL.
He was activated on April 18, started against Texas that afternoon and suffered a 12-2 loss (5.0 IP, 7 ER, 5 H). Melido was brilliant in his second start (9.0 IP, 2 H) but received no decision in the 1-0, 11-inning Yankee win at Seattle on April 24. He combined with Steve Howe and Steve Farr on a 2-hitter. Melido did not allow a run in his third start (8.0 IP), a 3-0 win over Seattle on April 30 and ended the first month of the season with 18 consecutive scoreless innings.
In a 6-2 loss to California on May 5, he allowed a three-run homer to Gary DiSarcarcina in the second inning to snap his scoreless streak at 19.0 innings. Melido had another strong start on May 10 at Detroit (8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER) but received no decision in the 2-1 10-inning loss. In a 4-3 win over Toronto on May 15, he did not walk a batter in 8.0 innings pitched. It was the first time he pitched at least eight innings without allowing a walk since June 6, 1990, a span of 70 starts.
In a 5-4 win at Milwaukee on June 11, Melido tied his career high with 12 strikeouts. On June 27, he beat the Orioles 9-5 to snap Baltimore's team record 11-game winning streak at Camden Yards. On July 8 at California, in his last start before the break, Perez suffered a 4-3 loss in one of his toughest defeats of the season. He took a 2-hitter and a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth before the Angels scored three runs for a 4-3 win. In that game Perez allowed a solo homer to Tim Salmon in the first inning and didn't allow another hit until J.T. Snow singled to lead off the eighth.
In a 9-5 loss to Seattle on July 20, Perez lost as the Mariners overcame a 5-0 deficit. On July 25 against California, the Yankees overcame an 8-0 deficit for a 9-8 win in their greatest comeback since 1987; Melido went just 1.2 innings in that start (6 H, 6 R, 2 ER), his shortest outing as a starter since September 27, 1990. He also went just 1.2 innings in his next start, a 9-2 Yankee loss to the Brewers on August 1 (7 H, 6 R, 6 ER).
Melido skipped his next start because of stiffness in his pitching shoulder, but rebounded with one of his finest outings of the season in picking up the 4-1 win at Boston on August 12 (7.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER). He didn't allow a hit until Billy Hatcher doubled with two out in the sixth inning. Melido followed that appearance by going 0-4, 7.54 in his final four starts. He made his final start of the season on September 3, suffering a 7-3 loss to Cleveland (5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER).
Perez did not pitch after September 3 because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder but was not placed on the DL. He enters the 1994 season one loss from matching his career high five-game losing streak (July 26-August 17, 1992.) Over the last five seasons (1989-93), his 748 strikeouts rank 10th in the majors.
In 1993 Perez ranked second in the American League with 9.2 strikeouts/nine innings and was tied for fourth in the AL (Ben McDonald, Jim Abbott, Chuck Finley, David Cone, Bill Wegman, Roger Clemens) with 14 losses. He did not have a complete game after throwing 10 in 1992.
The Yankees went 8-17 in his 25 starts but 2-9 in his last 11 starts. Melido made eight quality starts (at least 6 IP, no more than 3 ER) but did not win consecutive decisions all season and twice had four-game losing streaks (July 3-August 1, August 17- September 3).
Melido went 5-6, 4.19 in his first 14 starts. His 19-inning scoreless (4/18-5/5) equalled the career high 19.0 scoreless innings he threw from August 22- September 1, 1992. He lost his last four starts of the season (7.54 ERA) and five of his last six starts (7.03 ERA).
He was second on the Yankees in strikeouts (148) to Jimmy Key (173). New York hit .258 with 20 home runs and scored 84 runs (3.4 per game) in his starts, while opponents hit .267 with 22 homers in 647 at-bats, including .278 (9 HR) by left-handed batters and .255 (13 HR) by right-handers.
Perez went 3-4, 7.23 in eight day starts and 3-10, 4.48 in 17 night starts. He went 6-14, 5.58 in 23 starts on grass fields and 0-0, 1.65 in two starts on turf. He was caught by Mike Stanley 23 times and Matt Nokes twice. In innings 1-3, his ERA was 4.98, in innings 4-6 it was 4.93 and in innings 7-9 it was 6.48.
He signed a four-year contract on February 4, 1993. The contract runs through the 1996 season.
Perez was 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. He 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, held opponents to a .235 batting average and his ERA never rose 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.
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. 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 ratio of strikeouts per innings pitched in 1992 was third in the AL behind Randy Johnson and Jose Guzman.
In 1992 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.
He pitched six-plus in 30 of 33 starts and made quality starts (6 IP, 3 ER or less) in 23 of 33 starts. Nokes (14), Leyritz (4) and Stanley (15) caught his starts, with Stanley catching 10 of his last 11 starts. His ERA was not above 3.19 all season and was under 3.00 in 20 of his 33 starts.
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.
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. He 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.
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. 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 in 23 starts.
Perez started the 1987 season at Fort Myers, 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 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. In July Melido posted a 4-0 record and 3.86 ERA. He shut out his former Royal teammates on October 1 at Kansas City, allowing two hits and striking out 10.
In 1989, Melido led the team in wins (11), losses (14), starts (31), innings pitched (183.1) and strikeouts (141). He had a four-game winning streak from September 3-20, tying his career best from the previous season. He had a career high 12 strikeouts on June 23 at Milwaukee.
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. He was tied for third in the American League with three shutouts. The starts were a career best as were his 161 strikeouts (2nd on the club), and his 197.0 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 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 ChiSox 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.
On the road he posted 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).
Melido attended San Gregorio de Nigua High School in the Dominican Republic. He credits former Royals coach Luis Silverio for helping his career the most.
He enjoys fishing in the off-season."
-1994 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.
-1994 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: 6 years, 34 days. Opening Day age: 28.
-1994 New York Yankees Information Guide
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