Felipe Lira

Antonio Felipe Lira

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut April 27, 1995
• Final Game May 21, 2001
• Born April 26, 1972 in Santa Teresa del Tuy, Miranda, Venezuela

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Biographical Information

Felipe Lira had a professional career which spanned 19 seasons. He spent all or part of seven of those seasons in the Major Leagues for three different teams.

Rising Through the Tigers Chain

He signed his first professional contract a little more than two months shy of his 18th birthday. The Detroit Tigers signed him as an international amateur free agent on February 20, 1990, and he spent the majority of the ensuing summer with the rookie Appalachian League's Bristol Tigers. He appeared in 13 games, 10 starts, compiling a 2.41 ERA along with a 5-5 record. While that record might appear unimpressive on the surface, his team was horrible (indicated by a 22-46 record), his 5 wins were the most on the staff, and every other starting pitcher had a record under .500. The only other pitcher on the staff who would spend any appreciable time in the Majors was Jose Lima (who went 3-8 with a 5.02 ERA). Lira also led Bristol in innings pitched (78 1/3) and was third in ERA among pitchers with 20 or more innings pitched. He also made one relief appearance for the advanced-A Lakeland Tigers, allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, and an earned run over 1 2/3 innings while striking out 4.

For 1991, he was moved up to the class A South Atlantic League. In 15 games (13 starts) for the Fayetteville Generals, he again posted a 5-5 record (though he was third on his staff in wins; Greg Coppeta won 11 games and Eddy Rodriguez notched 7 victories). But his ERA rose quite significantly to 4.66, his strikeout rate went down (from 8.4/9IP to 6.9/9IP), his hit rate went up (8.2/9IP to 9.7/9IP), and he doubled his total of home runs allowed while pitching fewer innings (4 taters in 80 innings vs 8 gopher balls in 73 1/3 innings).

Despite the regression, he was moved up to the advanced-A Lakeland Tigers for 1992, but spent the majority of the season out of the bullpen. Still, it was his first season pitching over 100 innings (109, to be exact), and it could be considered the best season of his professional career. He made 22 relief appearances and 8 starts, posting his first record above .500 (11-5) and the lowest ERA he'd have in his career - 2.39. He maintained his 6.9 K/9 ratio while improving his other ratios, including an impressive 5.25 K/BB rate. He walked only 16 batters all season, resulting in a very good 1.3 BB/9 ratio, and his 7.8 H/9 would be the best of his career. His 1.018 WHIP also would be the best he'd post.

He split 1993 between AA and AAA, with the London Tigers (Eastern League) and Toledo Mud Hens (International League), respectively. Additionally, he was back in the starting rotation, making no bullpen appearances. With London, he started 22 games (152 innings), and posted a 3.38 ERA with a 10-4 record. In 5 starts (31 1/3 innings) in Toledo, his ERA would be 4.60 and his record 1.2. Overall for the season, he posted an 11-6 record and a 3.58 ERA. His aggregate ratios were very similar to his 1991 season.

He spent the entirety of the 1994 season in Toledo and did not fare all that well. Not only did he post a 7-12 record and a 4.70 ERA, but his H/9 ratio was above 10 for the first time in his career (10.2/9IP) and his WHIP was a semi-alarming 1.427.

In the Motor City

In spite of that, he found himself with the Major League Detroit Tigers to begin the 1995 season, following an abbreviated spring training upon the conclusion of the 1994 strike. He made his big league debut in the team's second game on April 27 against the Seattle Mariners in the Kingdome; while the Tigers had opened the season against the California Angels in Anaheim Stadium the night before, this was the M's first game. (Therefore, the Tigers were a part of two opening nights in successive nights, both on the road). Pitching in relief of starter Sean Bergman, Lira went 3 innings without allowing a base runner, striking out 4 (including future Hall of Famers Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey, Jr). His Tigers lost 3-0, all three runs scoring on a 5th inning home run off the bat of Griffey. All three runs were unearned, owing to a Chris Gomez error two batters previous.

He spent the entire season with the big club, and was in and out of the pitching-starved Tigers' rotation. His 22 starts ranked 3rd on the staff, and his 4.31 ERA was second-best amongst starting pitchers (David Wells - who was traded to the Cincinnati Reds at the trading deadline - was tops at 3.04). He and Wells were the only pitchers who started any games whose ERA was under 5.00 - the staff ERA was a ghastly 5.49, second from the bottom in the American League - only the Minnesota Twins were worse at 5.76; they were the only two teams above 5.00. Not only that, Lira's 146 1/3 innings were the most on the entire staff (Bergman was 2nd, with 135 1/3). While Lira's numbers were certainly respectable, especially considering the inflated offensive production in the mid-to-late 1990s, relying on an unproven rookie to such a degree is never ideal. Alas, the Tigers went 60-84 that year, Sparky Anderson's swan song season, and finished 4th in the American League East, ahead of only the Toronto Blue Jays.

With results like that, it's no surprise Detroit overhauled its pitching staff for 1996. Gone were veterans such as 1995's opening day starter Mike Moore, Joe Boever, John Doherty, Brian Bohanon, and Mike Henneman. In addition, young but inconsistent Sean Bergman was traded in the final weeks of spring training. With all those changes, the opening day assignment was given to Lira. On April 1st, he became the first Venezuelan to start a Major League opening day. He faced the Twins, another team coming off a horrible season. Unfortunately, this was not exactly Lira's finest hour. He hit Chuck Knoblauch with his very first pitch, which would not only be a sign of things to come for Lira on this day, but would also be indicative of the Tigers' season writ large. Lira only went 3 innings, allowed 8 hits, 3 walks, and 6 runs (all earned). He struck out 2, and only 31 of his 59 pitches were strikes. His Tigers lost 8-6 in the Metrodome, and Lira was saddled with the loss. He'd be a part of history once more that season, when he threw the pitch which Eddie Murray smacked for his 500th home run on September 6th.

Lira trudged through something of an inconsistent season, though he did spend the entire year in the starting rotation. In 32 starts, he pitched 194 2/3 innings (the most he'd pitch in any one sesaon), posted a 6-14 record, and compiled an ERA of 5.22. He allowed 30 home runs and hit 10 batters, both club worsts. On the bright side, his 3.1 BB/9IP were below league average, and he led the Tigers in innings pitched. In addition, his 6 wins were actualy 2nd on the team, behind newcomer Omar Olivares' 7. Olivares and rookie Justin Thompson were the only starting pitchers whose ERAs were under 5.00 (4.89 and 4.58, respectively). The Tigers' team ERA was 6.38 - unspeakably dreadful. Needless to say, this was not only worst in the American League, but worst by far amongst all 28 Major League teams (the Colorado Rockies were second from the bottom at 5.59). The Tigers used 27 different pitchers. First-year manager Buddy Bell saw his team lose an astounding 109 games, winning only 53. The 1996 Detroit Tigers were one of the worst teams in modern Major Leauge history.

Lira began 1997 in the Tigers' bullpen. The #1 and #2 starters were Doug Brocail (who was acquired in the offseason in a huge trade with the Houston Astros) and Thompson, who'd be the Tigers' lone All-Star after having begun the previous season in the minors. Lira appeared in 20 games for Detroit, starting 15 of them. In 92 innings, he posted a 5.77 ERA and a 5-7 record. While he was striking out men at a more impressive pace, his BB/9IP ratio also rose from 3.1/9IP in 1996 to 4.4/9IP.

On the Move

On July 18th, Lira and Omar Olivares were traded to another pitching-meager team, the Seattle Mariners. While Detroit was rebuilding, the M's were in contention for the American League West title in spite of their troubles on the mound. The M's were looking to shore up their pitching staff, which was weak both at the time of this trade and the previous year. Going from Seattle to Detroit were Scott Sanders - whom the M's had acquired from the San Diego Padres in the offseason and who was expected to contribute as a starter, but who was a massive bust - and minor leaguers Dean Crow and Carlos Villalobos.

Lira floundered in Seattle. He appeared in 8 games at the Major League level, starting 3 of them. In those three starts, he pitched only 10 2/3 innings, hit two batters, walked 7, and allowed a dozen earned runs. Overall for the M's in 1997, he went 0-4 (losing all three starts) with a 9.16 ERA. He also spent time in AAA with the Tacoma Rainiers and in short season A with the Everett AquaSox on rehab assignments. While the M's did win the AL West, Lira did not pitch in the postseason.

He spent most of 1998 in AAA Tacoma, where he was again part of a starting rotation. Appearing in 20 games (all starts), he went 6-8 with a 4.26 ERA. He also made 7 relief appearances for the big league M's during a one-month callup at the end of April and into May. While his ERA wasn't terrible at 4.60 (in fact it was pretty near league average), his WHIP was pretty unsightly at 1.723, he allowed an alarming 12.6 H/9IP, and he served up 5 home runs in 15 2/3 innings. We was a free agent at season's end, and the Mariners chose not to retain his services.

Now 27 years old and on the brink of washing out of the Majors after a few subpar seasons, he signed back with the Detroit Tigers for the 1999 season. He began the season with two terrible relief appearances for the big league Tigers, and spent the rest of the year back with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens; he wasn't good at all. In 114 innings across 30 games (17 starts), he lost 11 games while winning only 2, and was roughed up to the tune of a 6.71 ERA. His WHIP remained high at 1.737, and he was still allowing far too many hits - 12.9 H/9IP. The Tigers gave up on him once again, letting him walk as a free agent.

Unsigned as pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in 2000, he found employment with the Montreal Expos. After 4 starts for the AAA Ottawa Lynx (0-3, 4.95 ERA), he found himself back in the Majors, this time for the remainder of the season, the result of a dirth of major-league quality pitching in Montreal, and not because of his own performance. Out of Montreal's bullpen, he posted a respectable 4.56 ERA in 46 games. He enjoyed pretty good months of June and July, posting ERAs of 3.86 and 3.63, respectively; in July, he limited batters to a .224 batting average. At the end of August, he was put into the starting rotation, but struggled. After three lackluster starts, he was moved back to the bullpen, where he picked up where he left off. He made three more starts to close out the season, but none of them were impressive. (He had also made a spot start in mid-July while he was still being used as a reliever). His poor starts - and a poor game in Coors Field to open his season - inflated his overall season ERA to 5.40. He also appeared as a hitter for the first and only time in his Major League career, going 4 for 19; he slashed .211/.200/.526 - 2 of his 4 hits were home runs, and he drove in 3 runs (but he struck out in 13 of his 19 at bats). He appeared as a pinch hitter on July 9th, but struck out.

He was a free agent once again, but he re-signed with the Expos for 2001. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy the same success out of the bullpen as he had the year before. He pitched just 5 innings over 4 mediocre-at-best games. He allowed at least 2 earned runs in each game, aside from his final game, in which only faced 3 hitters (2 hits and a groundout in mop-up duty against the New York Mets). That game on May 21st would end up being his final Major League game, but his professional career would continue long after that. He spent most of the rest of the season back in AAA Ottawa, where he saw action in 42 games (all out of the bullpen, 60 2/3 innings). While his numbers were the best he had posted in years (2.08 ERA, 5-4 record, 1.5 BB/9IP, 8.3 H/9IP, 1.088 WHIP), the Expos released him on August 19th. Six days later, on August 25th, he was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies organization, for whom he made 2 lackluster starts at the AAA level.

Once again a free agent, he didn't find work until March 8, 2002 with spring training well underway. He was now a member of the New York Mets chain and was assigned to the AAA Norfolk Tides. Back in the bullpen, he appeared in 20 games (with 1 start thrown in), but posted a 5.03 ERA over 39 1/3 innings of work. His WHIP and H/9IP ratios went back up, and he was given his release on July 1st. The Cincinnati Reds gave him a shot a few days later, signing him on July 5th and sending him to the Louisville Bats, their AAA affiliate. They put him in the rotation and he started 10 games. His ERA with Louisville was 4.83, but his WHIP was still concerningly high, especially for a 30-year-old who was far removed from his days as a potential Major League starter.

Globetrotting Journeyman

The Reds chose not to retain his services, and his days in Major League affiliated ball were done. However, he spent 2003 in the Mexican League, in the starting rotation for the Guerreros de Oaxaca, a team with several former Major Leaguers. He had his best season in a very long time; in spite of his 8-9 record, his ERA was 3.19 - tops amongst starting pitchers on his staff - and he led his team in games started with 23. He was one of two pitchers not to make any relief appearances (Tim Harikkala was the other, who started 12 times). This was his final full season, however.

In 2004, he went to the other side of the globe to join the Macoto Cobras (who were based in Taiwan's capital, Taipei) of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. One of his Oaxaca teammates, Roberto Mejia, would also make the same journey to Taipei. However, he appeared in only 4 games with 2 starts. His ERA was 5.40, He allowed 16 hits in 11 2/3 innings, and hit three batters.

He was back in the Mexican League in 2005, this time with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes. He was roughed up in his 4 starts, allowing 26 hits, 12 walks, 3 home runs, and 15 earned runs over 19 1/3 innings (6.98 ERA).

His next two seasons were spent in his homeland, in the Venezuelan Winter League, but he was no longer an effective pitcher. In his two combined seasons (for the Tiburones de La Guaira and Aguilas del Zulia, respectively), he appeared in 16 2/3 innings over 11 games (2 starts) with an aggregate ERA of 8.10 (15 earned runs), 25 hits, 10 walks, and 3 hit batsmen - his WHIP was 2.100.

He tried one last hurrah in 2008 with the independent Yuma Scorpions of the Golden Baseball League, but was shelled in two appearances. (5 earned runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 wild pitches, and 2 home runs in only 2 1/3 innings).

Coaching Career

From 2014-2019, he served as the pitching coach for the AZL White Sox. He was slated to return in 2020 until COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the minor league season.

Lira also served for many years as a coach with the Tiburones de La Guaira of the Venezuelan Winter League, first as bullpen coach 2013-14 and until November 9 the following season, then as pitching coach from that point until the end of the 2018-19 season.