Eliecer Montes de Oca

Eliecer Montes de Oca Fleitas

• Throws Right

• Born March 28, 1971 in Villa Clara Cuba

Biographical Information

Eliecer Montes de Oca was a top Cuban pitcher of the 1990s. He is the son of Aniceto Montes de Oca.

Montes de Oca first made a splash with the Centrales of the Series Selectivas, leading that elite league in ERA (2.40) in 1994.

Eliecer was the top hurler in the 1995 Pan American Games, going 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA to help the Cuban national team win the Gold Medal. No pitcher would win three games in a single Pan American Games for 20 years until Chris Leroux of Canada did so. In the 1996 Olympics, he was Cuba's worst pitcher, allowing 15 hits in 29 at-bats and walking 7 while giving up 7 runs in 5 1/3 IP. His 10.13 ERA was clearly the worst on the Gold Medal winners. It would be Montes de Oca's last appearance on the Cuban national squad despite being only 25 years old.

The right-hander with Villa Clara led the 1996-1997 Serie Nacional with five shutouts. He hit 22 batters to lead the loop in 1998. He was the losing pitcher in the 2001 All-Star Game but tied Maels Rodríguez for the win lead (15) during 2000-2001.

In the last game of the 2003-2004 Serie Nacional finals, Montes de Oca was pitching in relief with the lead over the Industriales in the bottom of the 9th. He promptly gave up a double to Rudy Reyes and a bunt single to PH Yasser Ottamendi. Enrique Díaz then doubled home both the tying and winning runs to end it as Montes de Oca took the last loss of the campaign.

Through 2003-2004, his 15th season, Montes de Oca was 127-86 with a 3.56 ERA in 325 career games in Cuba.