Four-time All-Star pitcher Joaquin Andujar passed away on Tuesday at the age of 62 due to complications from diabetes.
His passing was confirmed in a report by Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.
The Dominican pitching legend had a solid 13-year career, making stops with the Houston Astros, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Oakland Athletics. Stellar as both a starter and as a reliever, Andujar went 127-118 with a 3.58 ERA and 1,032 strikeouts.
The right-hander was instrumental in lifting the Cardinals to the title in 1982, starting two games for the team in the World Series and winning both on a 1.35 ERA. After a down year in 1983, Andujar posted back-to-back 20 win seasons for St. Louis, winning the Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1984, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting both years, and helping lead the team back to the 1985 World Series. He also won a Gold Glove in 1984 and was selected to the All-Star team in both seasons (on top of the two he made with the Astros in the late 1970s).
Andujar was known for his colorful, often volatile personality as well. He famously went postal on home plate umpire Don Denkinger in Game 7 of the 1985 World Series, one day after Denkinger’s notorious blown call at first base in Game 6.
Andujar can be seen jawing off to Denkinger about a perceived missed strike call at the 1:38:49 mark of the above video, before finally charging Denkinger and being ejected one pitch later (at the 1:42:07 mark).
The Dominican was a golden quote machine too, known for giving reporters countless classic soundbites. Reddit user Martlet1 was kind enough to share some of Andujar’s best ones:
“How can I play baseball if I’m stupid? If I was stupid I wouldn’t have pitched in the World Series. I’d be playing ball in Mexico or Yugoslavia or on Pluto.” Source: Baseball Quotations Dictionary (David H. Nathan, 2000)
“I always have trouble seeing the ball in the day time here (Wrigley Field).” Source: AP Wire (1983)
“I throw the ball ninety-two miles an hour, but they hit it back just as hard.” Source: Widely Attributed
“It wasn’t my arm (that was injured). It was my forearm.” Source: AP Wire (1988)
“I win or I die.” Source: AP Wire (Comment made before Game 7 of the 1982 World Series)
“My favorite word in English is ‘youneverknow.'” Source: Widely Attributed
“That’s why I don’t talk. Because I talk to much.” Source: Baseball Quotations Dictionary (David H. Nathan, 2000)
“There are three-hundred thousand sportswriters and they’re all against me. Every one of them.” Source: Boston Herald (July 3, 1988)
“You can’t worry if it’s cold; you can’t worry if it’s hot; you only worry if you get sick. Because then if you don’t get well, you die.” Source: Baseball’s Greatest Quotations (Paul Dickson, 1992)
“You-never-know.” Source: Widely Attributed
Both the Cardinals and fellow Dominican mound great Pedro Martinez paid tribute to Andujar on Twitter.
He was "One Tough Dominican" & a member of our Cardinals family. We loved him & we will miss him. RIP Joaquin Andujar
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 8, 2015
Our condolences to the Andujar Family, in the lost of Joaquin Andujar, one of the icons of Dominican baseball and a great competitor. RIP
— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) September 8, 2015
Joaquin Andujar served people like me as a role model. Before I dream about baseball as a career, Andujar was in all my dreams.
— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) September 8, 2015
Andujar blazed the trail for generations of future Dominican pitchers to come and as an unforgettable character both on and off the diamond, he will be missed.
