Luis Beltrán Sojo Sojo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlwiz βelˈtɾan ˈsoxo], English: /ˈsoʊhoʊ/ SOH-hoh; born January 3, 1966 in Petare, Miranda State, Venezuela) is a former Major League Baseball infielder and right-handed batter who played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1990, 1993), California Angels (1991–92), Seattle Mariners (1994–96), New York Yankees (1996–2001, 2003) and Pittsburgh Pirates (2000). He is currently 3rd base coach of the Navegantes del Magallanes, of the Venzuelan Winter League, in Valencia, Venezuela.^[1]

In his career, Sojo filled a role as a utility infielder for the Blue Jays, Angels, Mariners, Pirates and, most notably, for the Yankees.^[2]

Skills[link]

Not classically athletic, he was a natural shortstop in the minors, but took on an expanded role in emergency situations, initially and most commonly as a second baseman, and eventually as a third baseman, first baseman and left fielder as well.^[3]

Sojo had limited power and did not draw many walks, but he was a good contact hitter, especially for someone who made a habit of falling behind in the count during his minor league tenure. He did show an ability to put the ball in play with a low strikeout rate (one for 13 at-bats). Some of his great contributions came when going to the opposite field in hit and run situations and with infield hits. An avid bunter, he led the league in sacrificial hits in 1991 (19).^[3] Though not a threat as a base stealer, he was a competent base runner. In the field, Sojo had a good range and a good arm, showing quick hands and slick moves.

Professional career[link]

Toronto Blue Jays (1990)[link]

He signed with the Blue Jays on January 3, 1986. Called up late in the 1990 season, Sojo played 33 games for the Blue Jays. He promptly went 18-for-80 (.225) and was then traded to the California Angels with a player to be named later (Ken Rivers).

California Angels (1991-1992)[link]

Sojo played 219 games for the Angels over two years. In 1991, he had 19 sacrifice hits, a career-high. He was traded back to the Blue Jays after the 1992 season.

Return to Toronto (1993)[link]

Sojo played only 19 games in 1993, and was only 8 for 47 (.170), although he managed to collect six runs batted in. On October 15, he was granted free agency.

Seattle Mariners (1994-1996)[link]

Sojo hit .277 over 63 games in the strike-shortened 1994 season, while also hitting 6 home runs, ten a career-best. He was once again awarded a starting role in 1995, where he played in 102 games, his second-highest career total. He finished the season with 98 hits, and seven home runs, tying a career best. In the 1995 American League Division Series against the Yankees, he played in all five games, going 5-for-20 with 3 runs batted in. He continued his hot streak into the 1995 American League Championship Series, again going 5-for-20 as the Mariners lost to the Cleveland Indians. In 1996,

Sojo began the 1996 season with the Mariners, hitting just .211 (52 for 247) over 77 games before being claimed off of waivers by the New York Yankees on August 22, 1996.

First stint with the Yankees (1996-1999)[link]

Sojo began his Yankee career 11-for-40 (.275) while only striking out four times with one walk. After playing only 18 games with the Yankees, he was added to the postseason roster. He did not receive a plate appearance during the 1996 American League Division Series, but played as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. He did, however, play in the 1996 American League Championship Series, going 1 for 5 over 3 games. Despite his limited playing time in that postseason, he played in five of the six games of the 1996 World Series, going 3 for 5 (.600) with a double and a run batted in. Sojo earned his first World Series ring when the Yankees defeated the Atlanta Braves.

On January 9, 1997, Sojo re-signed with the Yankees. In 1997, Sojo began to see his playing time decrease. He played in only 77 games, hitting .377. Sojo's 25 runs batted in was his most as a Yankee. He did not play at all in the 1997 postseason as the Yankees were defeated by the Cleveland Indians. He was granted free agency on October 31, and again re-signed with the Yankees on November 12, 1997.

During the 1998 season, Sojo's playing time again decreased as he saw action in only 54 games, hitting .231. He had 34 hits and 14 runs batted in during the season, but did not play in the 1998 American League Division Series. He rejoined the team for the Championship Series, where he played in one game. He did not play in the World Series, but received a ring regardless.

In 1999, he played in just 49 games, less than the previous year, but hit .252 and again missed the Division Series. He re-joined the team for the 1999 American League Championship Series, where he had only one at-bat. He was not much of a force in the World Series that year either, with just one at-bat, but nevertheless received a World Series ring. He was released on November 10.

Pittsburgh Pirates (2000)[link]

On January 9, 2000, Sojo signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in 61 games and hit .284 with 5 home runs before being traded to the Yankees on August 7 in exchange for Chris Spurling.

Second stint with the Yankees (2000-2001)[link]

Sojo played in 34 games after being traded and hit .288, earning him a spot on the postseason roster. Playing in all five games of the American League Division Series, he was 3 for 16 with 5 RBIs and 3 hits. Playing in all six games of the 2000 American League Championship Series, he went 6 for 23. In Game 5 of the 2000 World Series, Sojo turned from a role player to a hero.^[4] With the score tied at two with two outs in the ninth inning, Sojo singled to center, driving in Jorge Posada to break the tie with Scott Brosius also scoring on the errant throw to home plate.^[5] The Yankees won their 26th World Series, their third consecutive, and fourth in the Joe Torre era. Sojo obtained his fifth World Series ring, (4 with New York and one with the Blue Jays). On November 7, Sojo was released again and re-signed exactly one month later on December 7. In 2001, he played in 39 games, collecting only 13 hits, but proved productive, as he drove in nine runs.^[3] After missing the American League Division Series, he received one at-bat in the American League Championship Series. He played in two of the seven games in that year's World Series, going 1 for 3 with a run batted in.

Retirement and first coaching stint (2002)[link]

In 2002, Sojo failed to earn a spot on the Yankees roster, and retired from playing Major League Baseball. He then made his managerial debut with the Yankees Double A affiliate Norwich Navigators,^[6] and led the team to its first Eastern League Championship.

Return to the Major Leagues (2003)[link]

2003 was a unique year for Sojo. Having left the Navigators, Sojo was invited to the Yankees Old Timers Day. During the annual Old Timers' Game, he hit the game-winning home run off Ron Guidry. Later that season, the Yankees resigned him as an active player, and he appeared in three games to conclude the season.^[7] He may be the only Yankee (or overall player) in history to play in an Old Timers Game and later a regular season game in the same year.

In 13 seasons, Sojo batted .261 (671-for-2571) with 36 home runs, 261 RBI, 300 runs, 103 doubles, 12 triples, and 28 stolen bases in 848 games.

Post playing days[link]

After his playing career, he served as the New York Yankees third base coach for the 2004 and 2005 seasons, after which he would serve as manager for the Class A Advanced Tampa Yankees from 2006 to 2009, before being relieved on Feb. 2, 2010.^[8] Sojo also managed the Venezuelan national baseball team in both the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic. On January 10, 2011, the New York Yankees announced that they were bringing Sojo back to manage the Tampa Yankees.^[9]

Highlights[link]

• Hit a two-outs bases-clearing broken-bat double against California Angels Mark Langston to lead Seattle to its very first AL West division title, with four runs scoring on the play: Sojo took third on the throw to the plate, and scored after the frustrated Langston's relay ended up in the backstop (1995)
• Hit .400 with one RBI in 10 post-season games [.800 in the WS] (1996)
• Batted a career-high .307 in his first full season as a Yankee (1997)
• Tied for second on the team with nine RBI in 15 post-season games (2000)
• Drove in the World Series winning run (2000)
• Became the first person ever to manage a minor league team to a championship and later resume his Major League career.
• Five batting titles in the Venezuelan Winter League (.351, 1989–90; .362, 1990–91; .375, 1993–94; .376, 1994–95; .346, 1999–2000)
• Was called 'The best .200 hitter ever" by Yankees radio announcer John Sterling
• Reached 1000 hits on Dec. 14/15 (around midnight) in the Venezeulan Professional Baseball League (LVBP) with his team, Cardenales de Lara.

References[link]

1. ^ Venezuela Wins, but Manager Fields Plenty of Bad Hops - New York Times
2. ^ Luis Sojo making a comeback?
3. ^ ^{a b c} Luis Sojo Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com
4. ^ 2000 World Series Game 5 Box Score
5. ^ October 26, 2000 World Series Game 5, Yankees at Mets - Baseball-Reference.com
6. ^ Luis Sojo to manage the Norwich Navigators
7. ^ A Munson Moment - Hartford Courant
8. ^ The Official Site of Minor League Baseball | Charleston RiverDogs Homepage
9. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AodqIKQIZqTUq.r4eup0arkRvLYF?slug=ap-yankees-sojo

External links[link]

• Page at MLB
• Page at Baseball Library
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Retrosheet
• Article at Futility Infielder - WALL OF FAME

David Cone
David Cone at the 2010 Old-Timers' Day.
Pitcher
Born: (1963-01-02) January 2, 1963 (age 49) Kansas City, Missouri
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 8, 1986 for the Kansas City Royals
Last MLB appearance
May 28, 2003 for the New York Mets
Career statistics
Win–loss record	194–126
Earned run average	3.46
Strikeouts	2,688
Teams
Kansas City Royals (1986) New York Mets (1987–1992) Toronto Blue Jays (1992) Kansas City Royals (1993–1994) Toronto Blue Jays (1995) New York Yankees (1995–2000) Boston Red Sox (2001) New York Mets (2003)
Career highlights and awards
5× All-Star (1988, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999) 5× World Series champion (1992, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000) 1994 AL Cy Young Award 1998 Hutch Award Pitched a perfect game on July 18, 1999

David Brian Cone (born January 2, 1963) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five World Series championships (1992 with the Toronto Blue Jays and 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 with the New York Yankees). He has a career 8–3 postseason record over 21 postseason starts and a postseason ERA of 3.80.

He is the subject of the book A Pitcher's Story: Innings With David Cone by Roger Angell. His fans are known as "Cone-Heads."

Cone lives in Stamford, Connecticut, and is a color commentator for the Yankees on the YES Network.^[1]

Early years[link]

Cone was born in Kansas City, Missouri and attended Rockhurst High School, an all-boys Jesuit school. Cone played quarterback on the Rockhurst football team, leading them to the district championship. He also played point guard on the school's basketball team, but did not play baseball in high school because Rockhurst did not have a baseball program at the time. Cone played summer ball in the Ban Johnson League. At 16, he reported to an invitation-only tryout at Royals Stadium and an open tryout for the St. Louis Cardinals. Upon graduation, he was drafted by his hometown Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft.

Professional career[link]

Minor leagues and MLB debut: Kansas City Royals (1981–86)[link]

Cone went 22-7 with a 2.21 earned run average in his first two professional seasons. He sat out 1983 with an injury, and went 8-12 with a 4.28 ERA for the Double-A Memphis Chicks when he returned in 1984. During his second season with the Class AAA Omaha Royals (1986), Cone was converted to a relief pitcher, and he made his Major League debut on June 8, 1986 in relief of reigning Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen.^[2] He made three more appearances out of the Royals' bullpen before returning to Omaha, where he went 8-4 with a 2.79 ERA. He returned to Kansas City when rosters expanded that September.

New York Mets (1987–92)[link]

Prior to the 1987 season, Cone was traded with Chris Jelic to the New York Mets for Ed Hearn, Rick Anderson and Mauro Gozzo. Cone went 5–6 with a 3.71 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 21 appearances (13 starts) his first season in New York.

Cone began the 1988 season in the bullpen, but was added to the starting rotation by the first week of May. His first start was a complete game shut out over the Atlanta Braves,^[3] as he went 9-2 with a 2.52 ERA in the first half of the season to earn his first All-Star nod. For the season, Cone went 20-3 with a 2.22 ERA to finish third in National League Cy Young Award balloting.

The Mets ran away with the National League East by fifteen games over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and were heavy favorites over the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom they had a 10-1 record against during the regular season, in the 1988 National League Championship Series.

Cone became a newspaper commentator on the playoffs for the New York Daily News, and incited controversy after the Mets' 3-2 victory in game one by saying Dodgers game one starter Orel Hershiser "was lucky for eight innings," and ripping closer Jay Howell:^[4]

After providing the Dodgers with bulletin board material, they jumped on Cone for five runs in two innings in the second game of the playoffs to tie the series at a game apiece.^[5] After giving up the column,^[6] Cone came back with a complete game victory in game six;^[7] however, series MVP and 1988 Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser came back in game seven with the complete game shut out^[8] to lead the Dodgers to the 1988 World Series against the Oakland Athletics.

Cone spent over five seasons in his first stint with the New York Mets, most of the time serving as the team's co-ace alongside Dwight Gooden while leading the National League in strikeouts in 1990 and 1991. In 1991, Cone switched from uniform number 44 to 17 in honor of former teammate Keith Hernandez. On August 30, he struck out three batters on nine pitches in the fifth inning of a 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds. He became the 16th National League pitcher and the 25th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning.

Cone's jersey from his 19 strikeout game on October 6, housed in the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum at Citi Field.

Cone tied a National League record on October 6, in the season finale, by striking out 19 rival Philadelphia Phillies batters in a 7-0, three-hit shutout at Philadelphia.^[9] His 19 strikeouts was the second-highest total ever recorded in a nine inning game just behind the 20-strikeout games recorded by Kerry Wood and Roger Clemens (twice), and tying Tom Seaver's single-game club record, making the Mets the only team with two pitchers to achieve the feat.

Cone was the lone Mets representative at the 1992 Major League Baseball All-Star Game,^[10] going 9-4 with a 2.56 ERA at the All-Star break. With a 56-67 record, and fourteen games behind the first place Pirates, the infamous "worst team money could buy"^[11] traded Cone to the Toronto Blue Jays for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson on August 27, 1992 after the non-waiver trading deadline.^[12]

With Toronto Cone was 4-3, with a 2.55 ERA and 47 strikeouts. Combined with the 214 strikeouts he had with the Mets, his 261 strikeouts led the major leagues and were a career high. Cone headed to the post-season for the second time in his career as the Blue Jays won the American League East. The Jays defeated the Oakland Athletics in the 1992 American League Championship Series, and the Atlanta Braves in the World Series to give Cone his first World Series ring, and become the first Canadian team to win the World Series. For his part, Cone went 1-1 with a 3.22 ERA in the post-season.

Cy Young Award: Kansas City Royals (1993–94)[link]

Cone returned to his hometown Kansas City Royals as a free agent for the 1993 season.^[13] Cone had a subpar 1993, going 11-14 with a 3.33 ERA, however, he rebounded to go 16-4 with a 2.94 ERA in the strike-shortened 1994 season to win the American League Cy Young Award, and finish ninth in MVP voting. Cone was a Major League Baseball Players Association representative in negotiations with Major League Baseball in events that surrounded the 1994 baseball strike.

Toronto Blue Jays (1995)[link]

Four days after the strike ended, the Royals traded Cone back to the Blue Jays for Chris Stynes, David Sinnes and Tony Medrano. Cone was 9-6 with a 3.38 ERA for Toronto, however, the Jays were 35-47 and in fifth place when they struck a deal with the second place New York Yankees. On July 28, 1995, the Blue Jays sent Cone to the Yankees for Marty Janzen, Jason Jarvis and Mike Gordon.

New York Yankees (1995–2000)[link]

When the Yankees acquired Cone, they were on a six game winning streak, though still trailing the Boston Red Sox for the division lead.^[14][15] The Yankees won the wild card the first season of the new three division, wild card format.

In his third post-season, Cone won the first game of the 1995 American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners,^[16] and left game five with the score tied at four. The Mariners won the game in extra innings to eliminate the Yankees from the playoffs.^[17]

The Yankees re-signed Cone in the offseason to a three year contract worth $19.5 million.^[18][19] Cone was 4-1 with a 2.02 ERA when he was diagnosed with an aneurysm in his arm in 1996 and went on the disabled list for the majority of the year.^[20] In his comeback start that September against the Oakland Athletics, Cone pitched a no-hitter through seven innings before he had to leave due to pitch count restrictions.^[15] Mariano Rivera allowed a single, ending the no-hit bid.^[21]

The Yankees returned to the post-season for the second of thirteen consecutive seasons. After losing to the Texas Rangers in game one of the 1996 American League Division Series,^[22] and a no decision in the 1996 American League Championship Series,^[23] Cone came back in game three of the World Series against the Atlanta Braves with a six inning, one run performance^[24] to give the Yankees their first win of the Series on their way to their first World Championship in eighteen years.^[25]

Cone went 20-7 in 1998, setting a Major League record for the longest span between twenty win seasons.^[15] Cone won the 1998 American League Division Series clinching game against the Rangers, the 1998 American League Championship Series clinching game against the Indians, and Game Three of the 1998 World Series against the San Diego Padres. Cone finished fourth in the AL Cy Young voting.

He resigned with the Yankees for the 1999 season for $8 million.^[26] He went 12-9 in 1999, pitching the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history on July 18 against the Montreal Expos.^[27][28] It is the last no-hitter to date by a Yankee, the only regular season interleague perfect game. Making the game even more remarkable was that it was "Yogi Berra Day" at Yankee Stadium. After a long feud with owner George Steinbrenner, Berra agreed to return to the stadium that day, and caught the ceremonial first pitch from fellow perfect game pitcher Don Larsen. Larsen could be seen smiling in the press box after the final out was recorded.^[29][30][31]

After the perfect game, he seemed to suddenly lose effectiveness. It was the last shutout he would throw in his career.^[15][32] In 2000 he posted the worst record of his career, 4–14, while seeing his ERA balloon to 6.91, more than double his mark the previous year. In spite of his ineffectiveness, Cone was brought in during game four of the 2000 World Series to face the Mets' Mike Piazza, a controversial decision at the time — Denny Neagle had given up a home run to Piazza in his previous at-bat, but was pitching with a lead and only needed to retire Piazza to go the minimum five innings to be eligible for a win. Cone induced a pop-up to end the inning. It was the only batter he faced in the entire Series.^[33][34]

Boston Red Sox (2001)[link]

Cone recognized after the 2000 season that his tenure with the Yankees was over.^[35] In 2001 Cone pitched for the rival Boston Red Sox, performing with mixed but mostly positive results, including a 9-7 win-loss record and a 4.31 ERA. His 2001 season included a suspenseful 1-0 loss against Yankees ace Mike Mussina wherein Cone pitched 8 ¹⁄₃ innings giving up one unearned run, keeping the game close even as Mike Mussina came within one strike of completing a perfect game, which would have made Cone the first pitcher to pitch a perfect game and be the losing pitcher in another.^{[citation needed]}

Comeback with New York Mets (2003)[link]

He sat out the 2002 season, but attempted a comeback in 2003. Cone went 1-3 in 4 starts for the Mets with a 6.50 ERA. He announced his retirement soon after his last appearance for the Mets on May 28, citing a chronic hip problem.^[36]

Retirement[link]

Upon retiring from baseball in 2001, Cone became a color commentator on the YES Network during its inaugural season. However, his comeback attempt with the crosstown rival Mets in 2003 infuriated Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Cone was told he would not be welcome back. After his second retirement, Cone was offered a broadcasting position with the Mets, but opted to remain home with his family. His wife, Lynn DiGioia Cone, an interior designer whom he married in 1994,^[37] gave birth to a son, Brian, in 2006.^[38]

In 2008, David Cone rejoined the YES Network as an analyst and host of Yankees on Deck. He left the YES Network during the 2009-10 offseason in order to "spend more time with my family." He was replaced by former Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez.^[39] On April 19, 2011 Cone returned to the Yankees broadcast booth in Toronto, working as analyst for a Yankees-Blue Jays series along with Ken Singleton.^[1]

As an announcer, Cone is known for making references to sabermetric statistics, referencing some websites such as Fangraphs.com.^[40]

On July 17, 2009, Cone testified as a witness (representing the Democratic Party) before the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor.^[41] He read a prepared statement in support of Sotomayor's nomination which chronicled Major League Baseball's labor dispute of 1994 and the impact of the judge's decision which forced the disputants back to the bargaining table. Cone said, "It can be a good thing to have a judge in district court or a justice on the United States Supreme Court who recognizes that the law cannot always be separated from the realities involved in the disputes being decided."^[42]

Career statistics[link]

His .606 won-lost percentage ranks 95th on MLB all-time list; 7.77 hits allowed per nine innings pitched ranks 60th on MLB's all-time list; 8.28 strikeouts per nine innings pitched ranks 17th; 2,668 strikeouts ranks 21st, and 419 games started ranks 97th on the MLB all-time list.

• New York Yankees all-time leader in strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (8.67).
• Holds New York Yankees single season record for most strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (10.25 in 1997).
• Is the last Yankee pitcher to strike out 200+ batters in two consecutive seasons.
• Struck out 19 batters in one game, October 6, 1991
• Is the only pitcher to have a 20-win season with both the Mets (1988) and the Yankees (1998).

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• Pitchers who have thrown a perfect game
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
• List of Major League Baseball wins champions
• List of pitchers who have struck out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning MLB game
• Top 100 Major League Baseball hit batsmen leaders
• Pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches
• Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• BaseballLibrary.com
• Hickok Sports
• Ultimate Mets Database