Carlos Pérez made his presence known with authority. He reached the majors with a three pitch mix, fastball, splitter, slider. He was throwing everything hard, and good luck trying to hit it. In 1995, rosters were expanded to 28 to start the season after the strike, and Pérez had his chance to show he belonged. His first major league win came in May against the Phillies, when he rattled off 5 electric innings and belted his first career home run off Mike Williams in a 13-1 shellacking. Pérez would have a solid first half of the season, going 7-2 with a 3.26 ERA.
Pérez was known as a hothead - not just on the mound, but off it as well. His after-delivery motions resembled the electric slide or otherwise he would mimic the strikeout call of the home plate umpire, drawing the ire of his fellow competitors. His quick start in 1995 made him Felipé Alou's choice as the Expos' representative on the NL All-Star team. This appearance, along with the 6 hit shutout he hurled in June, solidified his place on the Topps All-Star Rookie squad. His arrest in late September for sexual assault ended his rookie season, though the team did not officially discipline him, he would not pitch again that year. Topps did not mention it on his card, either...
In the minor leagues, Pérez was injured and/or suspended often. He spent parts of 4 seasons in Single A, and yet he was still a major league rookie at the age of 24. Counterbalancing his temper and his injury history was very good control, and some promising strikeout numbers along the way. After finishing 1993 in High A, he took just one season to climb all the way up to the big leagues. He led the Montréal minor league org with a 14-7 record in 1994 across AA and AAA, tossing a pair of shutouts for AA Harrisburg, and completing 3 more games for AAA Ottawa.
The 1995 season ended poorly for Pérez, with an 0-5 slump followed by the September arrest, but his 1996 season was over before it even began. Pérez felt tightness in his shoulder during a Spring Training appearance and was put on the shelf to rest. When the issue did not resolve itself, exploratory surgery revealed a tear in his shoulder joint, bringing a swift and painful end to his season.
Pérez returned in 1997 for the Expos and led the National League in Shutouts with 5. He topped 200 innings for the first time in his career, and had a career high 12 victories for an Expos team missing many of the stars of its earlier heyday. He would be the Expos' Opening Day Starter in 1998, and was having another solid season when he was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline along with Mark Grudzielanek for a trio of prospects.
Down the stretch in 1998, Pérez pitched very well, with a 125 ERA+ for the Dodgers over 11 starts. He would toss 4 straight complete games during that run, which no other Dodgers pitcher had done since Orel Hershisher in 1988. He also finished the 1998 season facing the 5th most batters in the NL while not making a single error in the field over his 241 innings pitched. Following the 1998 season, Pérez had a series of rough outings and even spent some time at AAA Albuquerque to try to regain some of the old magic. He still had a low walk rate and was generally keeping the ball in the park, but his strikeouts decreased dramatically and he was giving up hits in bunches. The end of his Dodgers career was marred by frustration as well. He walked the bases loaded in the 4th inning of a start against the Pirates, and made mincemeat of a gatorade cooler in the dugout after being pulled from the game. He would be relegated to the bullpen, and pitched his final professional innings by early 2001, again in the minor leagues.
Carlos was the 3rd major leaguer of 6 Pérez brothers to pitch professionally. Older brothers Pascual and Mélido also had big league experience. Valerio, Dario, and Vladimir pitched in the minors. Following his pro career, Carlos pitched in the Winter Leagues and in the 2008 World Baseball Classic, representing the Dominican Republic.
Do you have any Carlos Pérez memories?
I remember the cooler attack. I think it was powerade. Also really like that fleer tradition card with the dodger world series champion murals in the background.
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