Former Giants pitcher Reyes Moronta dies — dead at 31
May 13, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Reyes Moronta (54) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. The Giants won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Reyes Moronta, a former MLB reliever who pitched six total seasons in the big leagues, has died.
Bravos de Leon, Moronta’s team this season in the Mexican League, announced the news of Moronta’s death in a post to social media late Sunday night. Moronta was just 31 years old.
Lamentamos profundamente la partida de Reyes Moronta. Deseamos a familia y amigos encuentren pronta resignación ante esta noticia.
Un abrazo hasta el cielo. pic.twitter.com/BM54bbfVSe
— Bravos de León (@NacimosBravos) July 29, 2024
MLB reporter Mike Rodriguez says that Moronta died in a traffic accident in his native Dominican Republic.
The righty Moronta began his MLB career with the San Francisco Giants in 2017. He raised his profile during the 2018 season especially, emerging as a hard-throwing reliever with a complete arsenal of pitches who at one point tied an MLB record with 12 straight appearances without allowing a hit. Moronta was also known for his fiery displays of emotion on the mound.
Reyes Moronta with the big strike out pic.twitter.com/CooB9KvjqI
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) May 2, 2019
This is the nastiest pitch I've seen Reyes Moronta throw. pic.twitter.com/eyAV6NnhKN
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 24, 2022
There's lots of fun stuff in this "best new pitches of 2019" piece, but I'm not sure I enjoy any of them more than Reyes Moronta blowing up Charlie Blackmon with a a changeup.
MORE-> https://t.co/CmLZ9sheE9 pic.twitter.com/wGA4SOI4yB
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) April 26, 2019
After battling shoulder and elbow injuries in subsequent years, Moronta spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks before joining the Los Angeles Angels for the 2023 season. He had a career MLB record of 10-11 with a 3.05 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and 202 strikeouts over 177 total appearances.