Jose DeLeon spent 13 seasons as a pitcher in the Major Leagues, and in 1989 led the National League with 201 strikeouts. He passed away on Sunday at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer.
He debuted with the Pirates in 1983, starting 15 games, posting a record of 7 wins, 3 losses, and 3 complete games, and finishing 7th in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
But two years later, DeLeon finished with the league’s most losses, 2 wins and 19 losses, and was traded to the White Sox for Bobby Bonilla during the 1986 season.
That season, he outscored Red Sox ace Roger Clemens in a 1-0 victory at Fenway Park in a nationally televised game as part of ABC’s “Monday Night Baseball.”
He was traded to the Cardinals before the 1988 season and finished with a 13-10 record.
DeLeon’s career year was 1989, when he started 36 games and posted a 16-12 record with a 3.05 ERA and five complete games.
His 201 strikeouts led the National League, surpassing Dodgers right-hander Tim Belcher, who finished with 200 strikeouts.
DeLeon also became the second Cardinals pitcher to strike out 200 batters in consecutive seasons.
However, DeLeon again led the league in losses in 1990 with 7 wins and 19 losses.
He was also a pitcher who struggled with effectiveness and had many bad luck. One of those games was in 1989, when he started and pitched 11 shutout innings, losing by decision.
He also fanned 14 Mets in a game in which he started in 1985 but did not earn a decision.
DeLeon, who also pitched for the Phillies and Expos, finished his career with 86 wins, 119 losses, and a respectable ERA of 3.76.
He also pitched for the White Sox in the 1993 postseason.
DeLeon became the first pitcher in history to record at least 1,500 strikeouts and not win 100 games.
Kerry Wood and Oliver Perez later achieved this feat.
