Óscar Eduardo Henríquez [en-ree'-kayz] (born January 28, 1974) is a Venezuelan former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros (1997), Florida Marlins (1998) and Detroit Tigers (2002) in parts of three seasons spanning 1997–2002. Listed at 6' 6", 220 lb., Henríquez batted and threw right handed. He was born in La Guaira, Vargas. In the 1997 season he was with the New Orleans Zephyrs before being called up to the Astros. During the 1996 season he pitched with the Kissimmee Astros of the Gulf Coast league and ranked fifth on the team in strikeouts with 40.
| Óscar Henríquez | |
|---|---|
| Relief pitcher | |
| Born: January 28, 1974 La Guaira, Vargas, Venezuela | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 7, 1997, for the Houston Astros | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 8, 2002, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 1–2 |
| Earned run average | 6.06 |
| Strikeouts | 45 |
| KBO statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 0–3 |
| Earned run average | 9.00 |
| Strikeouts | 4 |
| Teams | |
Career
editHenríquez was signed as a free agent by the Astros in 1991. Because of his immense size and overpowering fastball, Henríquez became a celebrity in his native Venezuela, where he was dubbed Manacho.
In 1995, Henríquez was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare disorder that affects the nervous system and causes muscle weakness. He had a surgery to remove the thymus gland in the upper neck, and later came down with pneumonia in both lungs. But Henriquez recovered and told the Astros he would be back, and the organization stood by him.[1]
In a 49-game career, Henríquez posted a 1–2 record with a 6.06 ERA and two saves, including 45 strikeouts and 30 walks in 52 innings of work.
In between, Henríquez played winter ball with the Cardenales de Lara, Navegantes del Magallanes and Tiburones de La Guaira clubs of the Venezuelan League in 12 seasons spanning 1992–2006, and also pitched for the Hyundai Unicorns of Korea Professional Baseball in 2001. In 2005 he pitched for San Marino in the Italian Baseball League.[2]
See also
editSources
edit- ^ Marlins' Henriquez Is a gas on and off field. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved on January 13, 2016. Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Oscar Henriquez Minor, Mexican, Korean, Independent & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)