Tony Armas (armasto02)

Antonio José Armas

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 205 lb.

• Debut August 16, 1999
• Final Game July 7, 2008
• Born April 29, 1978 in Puerto Piritu, Anzoategui, Venezuela

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Tony Armas, Jr. is the son of Tony Armas and nephew of Marcos Armas. Tony Jr. pitched 10 seasons in the major leagues, all in the National League.

He had a complete arsenal of pitches with a low-90s fastball, a slider, a curve, a change-up and a splitter. Armas, who also played 11 seasons in the minors, was primarily a starter in his professional career. He was one of two players acquired by the Montreal Expos from the Boston Red Sox in return for Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. In 2001, when his ERA was 4.03, his team's ERA was 4.68 and the league ERA was 4.36. He had his best season in 2002, going 12-12 with a 4.44 ERA after a very good second half. He briefly displaced Javier Vazquez's as the Expos' ace, earning the nod as the Opening Day starter in 2003, but was injured after 5 starts in which he went 2-1, 2.61. He came back the next season, but was never the same pitcher again. His ERA increased every year from then on, from an already high 4.88 in 2004, to a stratospheric 7.56 in 2008. In May 2009, he signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves but could not make it back up.

The first batter Armas, Jr. ever faced in the bigs was the legendary Rickey Henderson, who was a teammate of his father's with the Oakland A's in the 1980s.