Ormari Romero

Ormari Romero Turcás (also listed as Osmany, Osmani and Osmaris) (Mayarí Arriba)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 231 lb.

• Born February 22, 1968 in Secundo Frente, Santiago de Cuba Cuba

Olympics-Reference page

Ormari Romero was a longtime hurler in Cuba who made several appearances with the Cuban national team.

Romero was 3-1 for the Orientales in the 1993 Series Selectivas to lead the league in winning percentage. In 1994-1995, he threw three shutouts in the Cuban Serie Nacional to tie José Ibar, Orlando Hernández, Osvaldo Fernandez and Faustino Corrales for the lead. In the '95 Series Selectivas, the big right-hander won six games for the Orientales, pacing the premier circuit.

Romero again dominated the Series Selectivas in 1996, leading in wins (8-0), complete games (5) and ERA (2.19). That earned him his first stint with the national team, in the 1996 Olympics. He was 2-0 despite a 7.11 ERA and 17 hits in 12 2/3 IP for the Gold Medalists. He tied 7 others, including Kris Benson, Roberto Cabalisti, R.A. Dickey, Rob Cordemans and Pedro Luis Lazo for second in those Games in wins, one behind Omar Luis and Seth Greisinger.

In 1996-1997, his 12 complete games for Santiago de Cuba paced the Serie Nacional. In the 1997 Copa de la Revolución, he went 6-0, tying Lazo for the best record, to help his team take the title.

Romero was 1-0 in the 1997 Intercontinental Cup but was Cuba's worst hurler with 8 runs in 7 innings. He allowed hits to all three batters he faced in the Gold Medal game, which Cuba lost, their first tournament in which they failed to take home the Gold in 15 years.

Ormari got a crucial start for Santiago de Cuba in game 6 of the 1998-1999 Serie Nacional finals. With his team down 3 games to 2, he went the distance to beat the Industriales as Santiago de Cuba went on to take the pennant.

The Secundo Frente native was with Cuba for the 1999 Baltimore Orioles Cuban National Team Exhibition Series and the 1999 Pan American Games (7.73 ERA, no decisions). It would be four years before he next made the national team roster.

He finished the 1990s with a 61-41 record in Cuban league play.

Romero was 13-6 with a 3.94 ERA for Santiago de Cuba in 2000-2001. He was two wins behind league co-leaders Maels Rodríguez and Eliecer Montes de Oca. He fell to 2-3, 4.83 in 2001-2002. In 2002-2003, Romero rebounded to go 7-8 with a 3.30 ERA and only 27 walks in 131 innings.

Romero pitched for Cuba in the 2003 American Olympic Qualifier to help his country win a spot in the 2004 Olympics (for which he did not make the team). In the 2003 Baseball World Cup, the 35-year-old was 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA as Cuba took home the Gold.

Ormari had a 7-3, 3.59 record in 2003-2004. In the 2004 Haarlem Baseball Week, he went 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA. During 2004-2005, he went 9-4 with a 2.14 ERA, allowing just 3 homers in 113 2/3 IP. The old-timer got the call in game six of the finals versus La Habana with his team ahead 3 games to 2. He tossed a shutout until the 6th and only allowed one run in a complete game 2-1 win over Yadier Pedroso, one of Cuba's brightest young arms at that point.

Romero struck out 10 in 8 shutout innings in the 2005 Baseball World Cup, going 1-0. His win came over the Dutch national team, which was the host nation and would finish 4th in the 16-team field. His 0.54 ERA in two Baseball World Cups was 4th-best for the 1988-2005 era, trailing only Brett Gray, Jose Contreras and Euclides Rojas.

Ormari had a 8-6, 3.33 record in 2005-2006. He was Cuba's oldest performer in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, having just celebrated his 38th birthday. In that event, he went 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA and 9 strikeouts in 8 2/3 IP. He tied Min-han Son, Odalis Perez, Jae Seo and Koji Uehara for second in the WBC in victories, one behind Daisuke Matsuzaka. He beat the Netherlands and Puerto Rico. In the finals, he got the call from Higinio Velez to face Matsuzaka and Japan. He began by retiring Munenori Kawasaki but Tsuyoshi Nishioka singled on a full count, then Ichiro Suzuki walked on a full count. Again going to a 3-2 count, he yielded an infield hit to Nobuhiko Matsunaka. Velez then used a quick hook, replacing Romero with Vicyohandri Odelin, who would fare no better, letting all 3 runners score while retiring no one.

Romero fell to 5-6, 3.99 in 2006-2007 but walked only 7 in 70 innings. In 2007-2008, he ended his career by going 6-4 with a 4.54 ERA and 90 hits in 67 1/3 IP. He got the start in the last game of Santiago de Cuba's 4-game sweep of the finals, but did not get the decision.

Through 2009, Romero ranks among post-1962 Cuba's all-time leaders in starts (345, 6th), games pitched (467, 10th), wins (194, 7th), innings (2,613 2/3, 6th) and hits allowed (2,738, 5th). He only lost 124 games and had a 3.47 ERA.