Giovanni Carrara
| Giovanni Carrara | |
|---|---|
 Carrera pitching for Cardenales de Lara in 2008 | |
| Pitcher / Coach | |
| Born: March 4, 1968 El Tigre, Venezuela | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: July 29, 1995, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| NPB: April 7, 1998, for the Seibu Lions | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: September 23, 2006, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| NPB: October 8, 1998, for the Seibu Lions | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 29–18 |
| Earned run average | 4.69 |
| Strikeouts | 338 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Former teams | |
| Member of the Venezuelan | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2017 |
| Vote | 75% |
| Election method | Contemporary Committee |
Giovanni Carrara Jiménez (born March 4, 1968) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Seattle Mariners, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Seibu Lions. He is currently the pitching coach for the Palm Beach Cardinals.
Career
[edit]Carrera initially struggled as a starting pitcher in the major leagues but later became an effective long reliever. He had a 90–92 MPH fastball, along with a couple of breaking balls, a deceptive slow curve, and particularly his off-speed pitch; a hard one that was somewhere between a slider and cut fastball. He controlled the running game as well, with a good move to both first base and second, and a quick delivery to the plate.
On August 15, 2001, Carrara combined with fellow Venezuelan pitchers Omar Daal, Kelvim Escobar, and Freddy García to win their respective starts: Carrara, of the Dodgers, facing Montreal, 13–1; Daal, in a Phillies victory over the Brewers, 8–6; Escobar, of the Blue Jays, over Oakland, 5–2, and García, of Seattle, against the Red Sox, 6–2. This marked the first time in major league history that four pitchers coming from Venezuela recorded a winning game in their respective starts on the same day.
On August 26, 2006, Carrara was designated for assignment by the Dodgers. He was called up in September 2006 when rosters expanded and used sparingly after re-joining the big league club. The Dodgers chose not to re-sign Carrara in the offseason.
On May 4, 2007, Carrara was signed by the Caffè Danesi Nettuno of Serie A1 in Italy. In 2008, he was 8–2 with a 2.35 ERA and 49 strikeouts.
See also
[edit]External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Nettuno BBC
- The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia – Gary Gillette, Peter Gammons, Pete Palmer. Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005. Format: Paperback, 1824pp. ISBN 1-4027-4771-3
- 1968 births
- Living people
- Águilas del Zulia players
- Caffe Danesi Nettuno players
- Cardenales de Lara players
- Cincinnati Reds players
- Colorado Rockies players
- Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
- Dunedin Blue Jays players
- Indianapolis Indians players
- Iowa Cubs players
- Knoxville Smokies players
- Las Vegas 51s players
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
- Mexican League baseball pitchers
- Minor league baseball coaches
- Myrtle Beach Hurricanes players
- Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
- Sportspeople from Anzoátegui
- Piratas de Campeche players
- Rochester Red Wings players
- Seattle Mariners players
- Seibu Lions players
- St. Catharines Blue Jays players
- Syracuse Chiefs players
- Tacoma Rainiers players
- Toronto Blue Jays players
- Venezuelan baseball coaches
- Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada
- Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Italy
- Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Japan
- Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico
- Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States
- Venezuelan people of Italian descent
- World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela
- 2006 World Baseball Classic players
- 20th-century Venezuelan sportsmen