Paul Lo Duca
Paul Anthony Lo Duca
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 10", Weight 185 lb.
- School Arizona State University
- High School Apollo High School (Glendale)
- Debut June 21, 1998
- Final Game September 27, 2008
- Born April 12, 1972 in Brooklyn, NY USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Paul Lo Duca is the only player to have caught all three Martinez brothers: Ramón with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pedro with the New York Mets, and Jesús, who never made it out of the minors.
Lo Duca was listed in the Mitchell Report; he later apologized for his "mistakes in judgment".
On July 31, 2008, Lo Duca was released by the Washington Nationals. At the time of his release Lo Duca was hitting .230 with 12 RBIs. He was picked up by the Florida Marlins and played 21 games for them, hitting .294, then retired. However, he tried a comeback in 2010, signing a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies, but did not make it back to the big leagues.
Lo Duca has been calling games on ESPN for the 2011 CWS Super Regionals, 2012 CWS Super Regionals, 2013 CWS Regionals and 2013 CWS Super Regionals. In his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame in 2014, he failed to receive a single vote and dropped off the ballot.
In April 2019, on a radio broadcast, he told a story about how umpire Joe West would give pitcher Billy Wagner a wider strike zone in exchange for letting him drive around his '57 Chevy. West found this damaged his professional reputation and sued. On April 12, 2021, the New York Supreme Court found in West's favor, awarding him $500,000 in damages. In particular, the facts demonstrated that Lo Duca had never formed a battery with Wagner, in any game in which West was the home plate umpire making it clear that the story was a fabrication.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 4-time NL All-Star (2003-2006)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2001)
Further Reading[edit]
- Bob Nightengale: "Umpire Joe West is awarded $500,000 in defamation lawsuit against former player Paul Lo Duca", USA Today, April 12, 2021. [1]
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