Hugo Pivaral

Hugo José Pivaral Castillo

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 220 lb.

• Born January 2, 1977 in Guatemala City Guatemala

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Hugo Pivaral pitched in the minor leagues for three years.

Pivaral debuted in Guatemala's top league at age 15 and was 7-1 at age 16. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him in July 1993, the first Guatemalan to sign with a US team since Luis Ramazzini in 1951. He split 1994 between the Vero Beach Dodgers (6-5, 3.61) and Great Falls Dodgers (1-0, 2.70), with 102 K in 107 1/3 IP to only 32 walks. He had a 6-4, 4.63 record for the '95 San Bernardino Spirit and 1-1, 4.44 for the 1996 Vero Beach Dodgers before injury ended his US career. He was 14-10 with a 4.11 ERA in 56 minor league games.

Pivaral pitched one game for Modena in the 2002 Serie A1 in Italy (0-1, 8 R, 8 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HB in 6 1/3 IP). He was with the Guatemalan national team for the 2003 Pan American Games, shutting out the Bahamas. He helped Guatemala win the Silver Medal at the 2006 Central American Games. In the 2008 Americas Baseball Cup, he was Guatemala's top hurler at 0-1, 4.00. He lost a 2-1 game to a potent Mexican national team full of Mexican League stars, facing off against Walter Silva on the hill. He was 1.40 ahead of Guatemala's next hurler in ERA.

His repertoire included a fastball (peak around 84 mph), curveball and forkball.

Sources

• Bio of Pivaral
• Article on Pivaral's 2003 game against the Bahamas
• 2008 Americas Baseball Cup Final Report
• Note on Pivaral being the first Guatemalan to sign with a US team since Ramazzini
• Italian Baseball Federation