Former Cardinals’ pitcher Andujar dies at 62
Joaquin Andujar, a star pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1980s who called himself “One tough Dominican,” has died in his native Dominican Republic. He was 62.
“He was a joy to manage,” said former manager Whitey Herzog. “Everybody knew he didn’t operate with a full deck most of the time, but when you had Joaquin on your ballclub, you were sitting on a firecracker every day.”
The team said he died Tuesday. Leonardo Matos Berrido, president of the Dominican Baseball League, said the cause was diabetes complications.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of the best pitchers in Cardinals history,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends and his teammates today.”
Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, who like Andujar is from San Pedro de Macoris, wrote on his Instagram account that Andujar’s death was a “big pain for all baseball fans, especially all Dominicans, but even more so for all of us who had the chance to know you and learn from your example.”
The Cardinals planned a tribute to the fiery right-hander, who threw as hard to first base as to the hitters, before playing the Cubs.
Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 0: Rookie Aaron Nola pitched seven innings and Odubel Herrera hit a three-run homer to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
Nola (6-2) rebounded from the worst start of his career, allowing six hits with a career-high seven strikeouts and one walk, to help Philadelphia snap a five-game losing streak. The right-hander gave up six runs and nine hits in four innings of a 9-4 loss at the New York Mets last Wednesday.
Baltimore 2, N.Y. Yankees 1: Chris Davis led off the ninth inning with his major league-leading 41st home run and the Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 2-1 for just their fourth win in 19 games.
The Yankees began the day a half-game behind AL East-leading Toronto. They failed to take advantage of Masahiro Tanaka’s 10-strikeout performance and Alex Rodriguez’s 30th homer A-Rod has reached the mark in 15 seasons, tying Hank Aaron’s record.