Juan Manuel Pastoriza

Juan Manuel Pastoriza was a star Cuban hurler of the 19th Century. He was 5-2 in 1889 for Club Fé then 9-5 for them the next year, leading the Cuban Winter League with 14 complete games (he completed every game that season). In 1890-1891, he tied for the most games pitched (15) and complete games (12), going 10-5 for Club Fé. He led the league in victories.

Moving to Almendares in 1892, he was 7-10 but again led in wins (17) and complete games (15); though he did lose the most. He had all but 3 decisions for Almendares that winter. He was 3-5 for Águila de Oro in 1892-1893 and hit .265. He helped pitch Almendares to their first title in 1893-1894, going 16-7 (only one other decision by any hurler for the club) and hitting .293, 4th in the league. He led the league in wins, games pitched (23) and complete games (18) and became the only player in CWL annals to lead in complete games four times. In 1894-1895, he was 9-6 (2nd in wins, first in losses) when the season ended due to the start of the Cuban struggle for independence.

Pastoriza had gone 59-40 in his CWL career. In 1896, he was arrested by the Spanish for his role in Cuba's efforts for freedom and was killed by the Spaniards. He was one of several notable Cuban players to die in the war. He was inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

Sources

• Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History by Jorge Figueredo
• Ecured