Juan Pizarro

Juan Ramon Pizarro Cordova
(El Látigo de Ébano, Terín)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 190 lb.

• Debut May 4, 1957
• Final Game September 26, 1974
• Born February 7, 1937 in Santurce, P.R.
• Died February 18, 2021 in Carolina, P.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Juan Pizarro was a hard-throwing lefthander who came up as a 20-year-old with the Milwaukee Braves in 1957, earning a World Series ring with them his rookie year before moving on three years later to the Chicago White Sox. He was initially signed by scout Luis Olmo. He had some outstanding years for the Chisox of the early 1960s, being a two-time American League All-Star (in 1963 and 1964) and leading the Junior Circuit in strikeouts per inning back-to-back in 1961 and 1962. He also had 1.000% fielding percentages in 1963 and 1964.

Pizarro then bounced around with several other major league teams, including the Chicago Cubs, before finishing his big league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1974. He continued to pitch in the Mexican League afterwards.

He was the pitching coach of the Rockford Cubbies in 1997.

Juan played for the Caguas Creoles and the Santurce Crabbers in the Puerto Rico Winter Baseball League and is one of the top pitchers in the league's history. On November 10, 1957, he struck out 19 to break the league record of 17 held by Satchel Paige and Bob Turley. He later added a no-hitter and a one-hitter that winter then struck out 17 Carta Vieja Yankees in the 1958 Caribbean Series, shattering the Caribbean Series mark of 12.

Looking at his entire professional career, Pizarro won more than 400 ballgames. His regular-season count is 392: 197 in the US (131 in the majors and 66 in the minors), plus 38 more in Mexico in his late 30s and 157 while playing winter ball in his homeland. Postseason play – in the minors, Puerto Rico, and international tournaments – got him over 400.

He died in 2021 shortly after his 84th birthday, succumbing to a cancer he had battled for a number of years.

Notable Achievements

• 1956 MVP South Atlantic League Jacksonville Braves
• 2-time AL All-Star (1963 & 1964)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 2 (1963 & 1964)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1962-1964)
• Won a World Series with the Milwaukee Braves in 1957

Further Reading

• Rory Costello: "Juan Pizarro", in Gregory H. Wolf, ed.: Thar's Joy in Braveland: The 1957 Milwaukee Braves, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 157-163. ISBN 978-1933599717

Related Sites

• Juan Pizarro at the SABR Bio Project