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. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. Luis Ayala bats and throws with his right hand.
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Luis Ayala's Baseball Journey
Starting in Mexico
Luis Ayala began his professional baseball career in 1997. He was 19 years old when he started playing in the Mexican League. He played as a relief pitcher for the Saraperos de Saltillo team. He spent five years with them, playing in 65 games. During this time, he had a good record of 10 wins and 3 losses. His earned run average (ERA) was 2.92, which is a measure of how many runs a pitcher allows.
In 1999, the Colorado Rockies signed him as a free agent. He played for their Single-A team for a short time. However, in 2001, the Rockies sold him back to the Saraperos de Saltillo.
Playing for the Expos and Nationals
In 2002, the Montreal Expos bought Luis Ayala from Saltillo. He played for their Triple-A team, the Ottawa Lynx, that year. He was briefly with the Arizona Diamondbacks but returned to the Expos through a special draft rule called the Rule 5 draft.
Luis Ayala made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on March 31, 2003. He played for the Expos against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched for two innings and allowed only one run. That season, his 10 relief wins were among the best in MLB.
Ayala pitched 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 excellent for a pitcher. He also led the National League with 62 "holds" in these years. A "hold" happens when a relief pitcher enters a game in a save situation, maintains his team's lead, and leaves the game without getting a save or a loss. In 2004, he played in 81 games, which was the eighth-highest number of appearances in the league.
Overcoming an Injury
In 2006, Luis Ayala injured his elbow during a game. He needed a special surgery called Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2006. Because of this, he could not play for the entire 2006 season.
He started the 2007 season on the disabled list while he recovered. After playing eight rehabilitation games in the minor leagues, he returned to the Nationals on June 20. He pitched well in his return on June 22, 2007. For the rest of that season, he had 2 wins, 2 losses, 6 holds, and 1 save. His ERA was 3.19 in 44 games.
In 2008, Ayala played in 62 games for the Nationals.
Moving to Other Teams
On August 17, 2008, Luis Ayala was traded to the New York Mets. He had asked for this trade because he wanted a fresh start. He recorded his first save for the Mets on August 22, 2008, in a 3–0 win against the Houston Astros. He played 19 games for the Mets.
In February 2009, Ayala signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins. He was later released from the team in July.
He then signed a minor league deal with the Florida Marlins on July 3, 2009. He joined their major league team on July 12. After 10 games, he was released by the Marlins on August 31.
Luis Ayala continued his career by signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2009. He played for their Triple-A team, the Albuquerque Isotopes, as a closer. He was released in May 2010.
He then had short stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks in May 2010 and the Colorado Rockies in August 2010.
In February 2011, Ayala signed with the New York Yankees. He made their opening day roster on March 30.
Later Career in MLB
On February 10, 2012, Luis Ayala signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles decided to keep him for another year in October.
On April 10, 2013, Ayala was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He became a free agent after that season.
He briefly returned to the Washington Nationals in February 2014 and then to the Baltimore Orioles in March 2014. He also signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in June 2014 before being released in July.
Return to Mexican Baseball
After his time in MLB, Luis Ayala returned to play in the Mexican Baseball League.
He signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco on July 15, 2014.
- In 2014, he played in 8 games, pitching 10 innings. He had a 1.80 ERA and 4 saves.
- In 2015, he played in 51 games, pitching 61.2 innings. He had 7 wins, 4 losses, a 2.04 ERA, and 17 saves.
- In 2016, he played in 25 games, pitching 29 innings. He had 3 wins, 3 losses, and 6 saves.
He was loaned to the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in June 2016 and again in February 2017. He played 14 games in 2016 and 3 games in 2017 for them.
On June 4, 2017, Ayala signed again with the Saraperos de Saltillo. He played in 14 games for them.
His last known professional team was the Bravos de León, where he signed on March 22, 2018. He played in 7 games before being released on April 20, 2018.
