Salvador Colorado

Salvador Colorado Sánchez

• Throws Right

• Born October 3, 1950 in Huatusco, Veracruz Mexico
• Died April 28, 2021 in Mexico

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Salvador Colorado is a member of Mexico's Hall of Fame despite not having become a regular until age 28.

Colorado debuted in 1975 with the Charros de Jalisco, going 1-0 with a save and no runs in six innings. Despite that success, he did not pitch again in the Mexican League until 1979. Resurfacing with the new Azules de Coatzacoalcos, he dazzled, going 13-4 with six saves and a 2.05 ERA in 53 games and not allowing any home runs in 136 innings.

In the 1979-1980 Mexican Pacific League, he was named Rookie of the Year while pitching for the Potros de Tijuana. He was back with Coatzacoalcos in 1980, going 6-10 with 4 saves and a 2.51 ERA before the strike and 2-3 with a save and a 2.61 ERA post-strike.

In 1981, Colorado was 14-10 with a 2.08 ERA for Azules, walking 20 while fanning 140 in 199 innings. He tied Alfredo Ortiz and Diego Segui for 9th in the league in ERA. He had a 12-7, 2.83 record in 1982.

In the winter of 1982-1983, Salvador led the Mexican Pacific League with a 11-3 record and six shutouts and set the league's all-time record with a 0.53 ERA.

The right-hander was 14-8 with a 2.61 ERA for the 1983 Azules, allowing only one home run in 186 innings. In 1984, he moved to the Cafeteros de Cordoba and went 17-6 with a 2.20 ERA, walking just 26 in 196 2/3 IP. He led the Mexican League in ERA and tied for the most wins. During 1985, he fell to 15-9, 3.68 for the Cafeteros. On June 4, he threw a 7-inning no-hitter versus the Monterrey Sultans.

In 1986, Colorado was 12-7 with a 3.16 ERA and 26 walks in 170 2/3 IP. In a league facing record offensive levels thanks to a more lively ball, he finished third in ERA behind Barry Bass and Robin Fuson. He spent 1987 with the Plataneros de Tabasco, going 15-9 with a 3.13 ERA and 31 walks in 186 2/3 IP. He finished 6th in the league in ERA.

Salvador was 14-8 with a 4.59 ERA for the 1988 Bravos de León. That concluded a run of eight straight seasons of double-digit wins. He fell to 7-10 with the 1989 Yucatan Lions with a 3.97 ERA, walking only 13 in 138 1/3 IP. With Yucatan in 1990 at age 39, he was 14-10 with two saves and a 3.49 ERA.

Colorado was 9-8 but with a career-worst 5.18 ERA for Yucatan in 1991, walking 18 in 144 1/3 IP. He split 1992 between Jalisco and Cordoba, going a combined 4-13 with a 4.18 ERA and giving up 159 hits in 118 1/3 IP.

Back with Tabasco in 1993, he was 8-1 with a save and a 3.11 ERA. With the same club in '94, he ended his career at age 43 by going 4-2 with a 2.61 ERA.

Overall, Colorado had gone 181-125 with 15 saves and a 3.19 ERA in the Mexican League, completing 175 games in 323 starts and only walking 425 in 2,406 innings. In the Mexican Pacific League, he was 58-43 with a 2.65 ERA.

Through 2000, Salvador was 16th in Mexican League history in wins, 10th in complete games, 9th in winning percentage (among pitchers with 2,000+ IP) and tied for 14th in ERA (among pitchers with 2,000+ IP), even with Arturo Gonzalez.

Colorado was voted into the Salón de la Fama in 2009, his third time on the Veterans Committee ballot.

He was known as a finesse pitcher, not a fireballer.

Sources

• Various Baseball Guides
• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros
• Salon de la Fama bio
• Article on passing