The 2024 Caribbean Series is currently in full swing with the round-robin portion closing up. However, the biggest story thus far is Tiburones de la Guaira's left-handed Venezuelan pitcher Ángel Padrón.
Padrón, 26, retired the first 21 batters he faced in nine innings, then walked Raudy Read of Nicaragua with no outs. Nevertheless, he ended the inning by grounding out Cheslor Cuthbert and forcing Melvin Novoa, the next batter, into a double play.
Padrón completed the victory by getting Jesus Lopez to line out to second baseman Alcides Escobar, striking out Elian Miranda with a sinker that clocked at 90.6 mph, and getting Omar Mendoza to ground out to shortstop Wilfredo Tovar.
The only other no-hitter in the 75-year history of the Caribbean Series was Tommy Fine of Cuba in the 1952 game against Venezuela. That was before Ángel Padrón's no-hitter.
Who is Ángel Padrón?
Padron was born on September 16, 1997, in San Cristobal, Venezuela. In July 2014, the Boston Red Sox signed him as an international free agent.
The left-hander has a three-quarter arm slot and a high leg kick. His fastball sits between 86 and 88 mph, but batters are still caught off guard by his long, slow jab behind the pitch.
His curveball and changeup sit at a velocity of about 72–73 mph and 80 mph, respectively, and sit above his naturally sinking fastball.
Padrón played in both the Venezuelan Development Program and the complicated league for his first four seasons. Padrón was released in November 2019 after playing with Greenville Drive and Lowell Spinners for a couple years following June 2017.
He signed with the Tigres de Aragua of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League the following year. Throughout his tenure in the minor leagues, he has pitched 487 innings with an ERA of 4.03.
Ángel Padrón made history just a few days ago. His historic pitching performance put him back on the map. After spending years within independent ball and the minors, could this be his first step back into making his major league debut?
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