Pascual

The numbers are as follows: 67 wins, 68 losses, a 3.44 earned run average and an All-Star selection in 1983.

The actual story of Pascual Perez’s major league career? So much more than that.

Perez was not your traditional flame thrower on the mound, whether he was using an “imaginary finger gun” to taunt and shoot down opponents, or sprinting towards the mound after completing an inning, if it didn’t make sense, Perez probably did it.

After making his debut pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1980, Perez was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 1982.

On August 19th of that year, he was set to make his debut in Atlanta. Instead of the expected 15 minute ride to the stadium, Perez circled endlessly on the I-285, missing the same exit three times, finally pulling off the freeway ten minutes after the first pitch of the game had been thrown, using gestures and minimal English to convince a gas station attendant to give him ten dollars worth of free gas because he had forgotten his wallet as well.

The team got such a kick out of it, that Braves travel secretary Bill Acree stitched “I-285” on Perez’s jacket, which he wore proudly. The story was so crazy that the Braves marketing department actually came up with a commemorative poster of the incident. Check out this legendary poster. 

He had a slow motion pitch which he called the “Pascual Ball”, and a pick-off move like no other: he would bend over and peek at the runner between his legs. The list of stories just goes on and on, in this Sports Illustrated feature alone, we find out the following: one time, after nearly being decapitated by a line drive at Wrigley Field, Perez threw a pitch into the Cubs’ dugout and claimed afterwards that he doesn’t do anything in particular on purpose; Another time, he was at-bat facing the Dodgers, and instead of following the bunt sign, he ignored all three of them and struck out. When asked to explain after, he said he was “rockin’ and rollin’”; and best of all, after a tough stretch with the New York Mets, Perez left the team for five days in August to consult a Dominican spiritualist.

Perez struggled with substance abuse problems during his career. In 1989, he attended weekly Alchoholics Anonymous sessions while pitching for the Montreal Expos. In 1992, he was suspended from baseball after failing two drug tests due to cocaine. That ended his major league career.

This morning, it was reported that Perez, now 55 years-old, was attacked and killed in a home invasion in the Dominican Republic.

You may remember him for his highway hi-jinx, or for all the quirks he brought on the mound, or even quite simply by the jheri curls that made his baseball cards stand out so much from the rest.

Pascual Perez was a character who marched to his own drumbeat. He wasn’t the best, but he was memorable enough to leave an impression that far outsizes his on field accomplishments. And now he’s gone too soon.

Rest in peace.

Posted on 1 November, 2012

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