Oliver Perez, Relief Pitcher

Date of Birth: 8/15/1981
Birthplace: Sinaloa, Mexico

Oliver Perez, relief pitcher, was first signed by the San Diego Padres in 1999. He pitched as a starting pitcher in the Padres' minor league system from 1999 through 2001.

Perez pitched from the Padres' starting rotation in 15 games in 2002. He also pitched in one game as a reliever. He finished the season with 4 wins to 5 losses and a 3.50 ERA in 90.0 innings.

The Padres traded Perez to the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 25, 2003. He finished the season with 4 wins and 10 losses and a 5.47 ERA in 19 games with the Padres and 5 games with the Pirates. He didn't pitch in any games as a relief pitcher in 2003.

Perez had career highs in innings pitched (196.0) and strikeouts (239 to 81 walks) in 2004. He had 12 wins and 10 losses and a 2.98 ERA in 30 games. The following season, he continued to pitch from the Pirates' starting rotation, finishing with a 5.85 ERA in 20 games.

The Pirates traded Perez to the New York Mets on July 31, 2006. As a starting pitcher in 15 games with the Pirates and 7 games with the Mets, he had a 6.55 ERA in 112.2 innings. He continued as a starting pitcher for the Mets in 2007 and 2008. He had a career high 15 wins (to 10 losses) in 2007. He had a 3.56 ERA that year and a 4.22 ERA in 2008.

Perez suffered from knee problems in 2009 and 2010 and he spent considerable time on the DL both seasons. In 2010, he transitioned to a relief pitcher.

Perez signed with the Washington Nationals in March, 2011. He spent the 2011 season on the DL and in the minors.

Perez became a free agent on November 3, 2012. He signed a contract as a relief pitcher with the Seattle Mariners on January 18, 2012. He pitched in 33 games in 2012 and he had a career low ERA of 2.12. The following season, he had a 3.74 ERA in 53.0 innings in 61 games.

In March, 2014, Perez signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had a 2.91 ERA in 58.2 innings in 68 games in 2014.

The Diamondbacks traded Perez to his seventh team, the Houston Astros, on August 8, 2015. He finished the season with a 4.17 ERA in 48 games with the Diamondbacks and 22 games with the Astros.

Perez became a free agent on November 2, 2015. He returned to the Nationals on December 11th. He finished the 2016 season with a 4.95 ERA in 40.0 innings in 64 games. In the postseason, he pitched 3.1 innings in 4 games and he gave up 1 hit and no runs. He struck out three batters and walked one.

Perez finished the 2017 season with 39 strikeouts to 12 walks and a 4.64 ERA in 33.0 innings in 50 games. In the postseason, he pitched 1.0 innings in 2 games and he gave up just one hit.

Perez became a free agent on November 2, 2017. He signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds on February 24, 2018. He left the Reds on March 30th to sign a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. The Yankees released him on June 1st and a day later, he signed a minor league contract with the Indians.

Perez pitched in 51 games with the Cleveland Indians in 2018. He finished the season with 1 win and 1 loss, 43 strikeouts to 7 walks, and a career low ERA of 1.39 in 32.1 innings. He didn't pitch in the postseason.

Perez finished the 2019 season with 2 wins and 4 losses, 1 save, 48 strikeouts to 12 walks, and a 3.98 ERA in 40.2 innings in 67 games.

Perez pitched in 21 games in 2020. He finished the season with 1 win and 1 loss, 1 save, and a 2.00 ERA in 18.0 innings.

After pitching 3.2 innings in 5 games with Cleveland in 2021, Perez elected free agency on May 2nd. He then played in the Mexican League and the Mexican Pacific Winter League.

Perez signed a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks on March 21, 2022. He was released a month later, on April 28th.

Career pitching statistics for Perez through 2021 include:

• 696 games played
• 1,461.2 innings pitched
• 73-93 win-loss record
• 1,545 strikeouts to 761 walks
• 4.34 ERA

Personal Life

Perez and his wife have two children.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Oliver Perez
MiLB - Oliver Perez