Luis Ayala (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Luis Ayala |
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Ayala with the Baltimore Orioles
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: January 12, 1978 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico |
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| debut | |||
| March 31, 2003, for the Montreal Expos | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 29, 2013, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 38–47 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.34 | ||
| Strikeouts | 367 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Luis Ignacio Ayala Hernández (born January 12, 1978) is a former professional baseball pitcher from Mexico. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These included the Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Atlanta Braves.
Luis is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. He bats and throws with his right hand.
Contents
Baseball Career
Starting in Mexico
In 1997, when Luis Ayala was 19, he began his baseball journey. He started as a relief pitcher in the Mexican League. He played for five years with the Saraperos de Saltillo team. During this time, he had a good record. He won 10 games and lost 3, with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.92. An ERA shows how many runs a pitcher allows per nine innings.
In 1999, the Colorado Rockies signed him. He played for their Single-A team for a short time. Then, in 2001, the Rockies sold him back to the Saltillo team.
Major League Debut
In 2002, the Montreal Expos bought Luis Ayala from Saltillo. He played for their Triple-A team, the Ottawa Lynx, that year. Later in 2002, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed him. But just two months later, he returned to the Expos. He was chosen by them in the Rule 5 draft.
Luis Ayala made his first big league appearance on March 31, 2003. He played for the Expos against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched for two innings and allowed one run. That season, his 10 wins as a relief pitcher were among the best in MLB.
Ayala played very well for the Expos and later the Washington Nationals from 2003 to 2005. He played in about 70 games each year. His ERA was 2.75, which is very good. He also led the National League with 62 "holds." A hold is when a relief pitcher enters a game in a save situation and maintains the lead. In 2004, he played in 81 games, which was the eighth most in the league.
Injury and Comeback
In 2006, Luis Ayala hurt his elbow during a game. This happened at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Because of this injury, he had a surgery called Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2006. This meant he could not play for the entire 2006 season.
He started the 2007 season on the disabled list. He was still recovering from his surgery. After playing eight rehab games in the minor leagues, he returned to the Nationals on June 20. He made his comeback on June 22, 2007. He pitched well, not allowing any runs. For that season, he had 2 wins and 2 losses. He also had 6 holds and 1 save, with an ERA of 3.19. In 2008, Ayala played in 62 games for the Nationals.
Playing for Many Teams
New York Mets
On August 17, 2008, Ayala was traded to the New York Mets. He had asked for this trade because he wanted a fresh start. The Mets sent Anderson Hernández to the Nationals to complete the trade. On August 22, 2008, Ayala earned his first save for the Mets. This happened in a 3–0 win against the Houston Astros. He played in 19 games for the Mets.
Minnesota Twins
On February 18, 2009, Ayala signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins. He was released by the team on July 2. The Twins manager said Ayala was released because he was not happy with his role on the team.
Florida Marlins
On July 3, 2009, he signed a minor league deal with the Florida Marlins. He joined their main team on July 12. However, he was released again on August 31. He played in 10 games for the Marlins. Ayala felt that the team handled his situation poorly.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On December 16, 2009, Ayala signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played for their Triple-A team, the Albuquerque Isotopes. He was often a closer for them. A closer is a pitcher who finishes the game. He was released by the Dodgers on May 17, 2010.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On May 20, 2010, Ayala signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was released by them on July 16, 2010.
Colorado Rockies
On August 27, 2010, Ayala signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. He became a free agent on November 22, 2010.
New York Yankees
On February 9, 2011, Ayala signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. He was added to their main team roster on March 30.
Baltimore Orioles
On February 10, 2012, he signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles decided to keep him for another year on October 29.
Atlanta Braves
On April 10, 2013, Ayala was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He became a free agent after that season.
Returning to Teams
Luis Ayala had a second time playing for the Washington Nationals. He signed a minor league deal with them on February 7, 2014. He was released by them on March 19. The very next day, he signed again with the Baltimore Orioles.
Toronto Blue Jays
He later left the Orioles and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on June 6, 2014. He played for their Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons. He was released on July 4.
Later Career in Mexico
After his time in MLB, Luis Ayala returned to play in the Mexican Baseball League.
Olmecas de Tabasco
On July 15, 2014, Ayala signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco. In 2014, he played in 8 games as a relief pitcher. He had a 1.80 ERA and 4 saves. In 2015, he played in 51 games. He had 7 wins and 4 losses, with a 2.04 ERA and 17 saves. In 2016, he played in 25 games. He had 3 wins and 3 losses, with a 3.41 ERA and 6 saves.
Diablos Rojos del Mexico
On June 29, 2016, Ayala was loaned to the Diablos Rojos del Mexico. He returned to the Olmecas de Tabasco on September 19. On February 27, 2017, he was loaned back to the Diablos Rojos del Mexico. He was released on April 17.
Saraperos de Saltillo
On June 4, 2017, Ayala signed again with the Saraperos de Saltillo. He was released on January 18, 2018.
Bravos de León
On March 22, 2018, Ayala signed with the Bravos de León. He was released on April 20, 2018. This was his last team in the Mexican League.
