ANDFormer New York Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano, who pitched so often that he was nicknamed “Pedro Perpetuo,” died Monday. He was 45 years old.
Friends and former teammates reported to the Mets that Feliciano was found dead in his sleep Monday at his home in Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rican left-hander led the majors with the most performances for three years in a row. He pitched in 86 games in 2008, had 88 in 2009 and was on the mound 92 times in 2010.
“I never had to look into the bullpen to see if Pedro was ready. He always was and never said no. I know some days I was tired, but I would always take the ball, “former Mets manager Willie Randolph said in a statement.
Feliciano was 22-21 with four saves and a 3.33 ERA, all with the Mets, in a nine-year career spanning from 2002 to 2013. In total, the Puerto Rican pitched in 484 games, the second-highest amount on the Mets’ list, behind John Franco’s 695, and pitched a total of 382 2/3 innings.
“In all my years in baseball, I never saw a left-handed reliever have such a presence in the clubhouse. He had such a great personality.” said David Wright, the retired Mets captain who was teammates with Feliciano.
After going 3-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 2010, Feliciano signed a two-year, $ 8 million contract with the New York Yankees. But he never pitched in the majors for the Yankees because of a sore shoulder.
He also pitched for Puerto Rico in the first two editions of the World Baseball Classic, in 2006 and 2009.