Julio Rojo, Jr.

Julio Rojo Farres

Julio Rojo, Jr. was the son of Negro League catcher Julio Rojo, Sr. Julio Jr. pitched for ten seasons in the Cuban Serie Nacional, going 71-39 with a 2.06 ERA and .217 opponent average in 185 games (114 starts). In 1964-1965, while with the Occidentales, he tied Gaspar Pérez for the league lead with six hit batsmen. In 1967-1968, he won 18 games for La Habana to set a record for wins (Pérez had held the record). Five years later, Braudilio Vinent won 19 to top Rojo. Rojo never pitched for the Cuban national team. He later defected from Cuba, one of the first former Serie Nacional players to do so. As of 2010, he still ranked 7th in Serie Nacional history in career ERA despite having never led the league (he pitched in a very pitcher-friendly era). He trailed José Antonio Huelga, Roberto Valdés, Manuel Hurtado, Juan Pérez Pérez, Walfrido Ruiz and Santiago Mederos.

Sources: 2005 Guia Official de Beisbol, A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman, PBS Stealing Home documentary list of defectors