Vital Statistics:
Born: Jan. 7, 1982
Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
Height: 6-0
Weight: 195
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Family: Single
Primary position: Relief pitcher
Before The Bigs:
- Has 13 siblings and was raised by his grandparents.
- Signed with Angels at age 16.
- Began his career as a starter in the minors with limited success. Went 5-7 with a 5.38 ERA in 20 starts at Class A Rancho Cucamonga in 2001.
- Converted to a reliever at age 20 in 2002, he made a rapid ascent to the majors. Started the season at Double-A Arkansas (3-3, 9 saves, 1.96 ERA) and advanced to Triple-A Salt Lake (2-3, 2.57 ERA, 6 saves). Called up to Angels in a pennant race on Sept. 18, 2002.
Career Highlights:
- Made the Angels' postseason roster because of injuries to other pitchers and came out of nowhere to dominate in middle relief. He won two games in the Division Series against the Yankees, two against the Twins in the AL Championship Series and went 1-1 record with 13 strikeouts in 8.2 innings in a World Series win over the Giants. He was the youngest pitcher in 32 years to pitch in the World Series and the youngest ever to pick up a victory.
- In his “rookie” season in 2003, he was 8-3 with a 3.03 ERA as a setup reliever.
- Made his first All-Star team in 2004, when he went 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA, and was fourth in AL Cy Young voting.
- Became the team's closer in 2005 and tied for the AL saves title with 45 as the Angels advanced to the ALCS. He followed that with 47 in 2006, most in the majors, and 40 in 2007, making his second All-Star team.
- Set the all-time single-season saves record in 2008, breaking the record with his 58th save on Sept. 13.
- Signed a free-agent contract with the New York Mets before the 2009 season.
