Pitcher, Minnesota
Twins
Age: 27
8th season
with Senators/Twins
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 5’11” Weight: 170
Prior to 1961:
A native of
Havana, Cuba, Pascual and his brother played sandlot baseball in his youth
until joining the amateur Club Ferroviario as a teenager. At 18 he went
professional in the Cuban winter league with Mariano for the 1952-53 season
until traded to the Cienfuegos Elephants in a much-maligned deal because
Pascual proved to be an outstanding pitching talent with his excellent curve. He
became the ace of the Cienfuegos staff and would continue to pitch there over
the coming winters with outstanding results, especially in combination with RHP
Pedro Ramos, who also was a teammate in America. Having already seen action in
the Border and Sooner State Leagues in 1951 due to having signed with the
Washington Senators, he also pitched with Tampa and Havana in the Class B
Florida International League in 1952 and ’53. Moving up to the Senators in
1954, the 20-year-old was primarily utilized out of the bullpen and posted a
4-7 record with a 4.22 ERA, 3 saves, and 60 strikeouts over 119.1 innings
pitched for the sixth-place club. Used more as a starter in 1955 (16 starts in
43 appearances), his tally slipped to 2-12 with a miserable 6.14 ERA and 82
strikeouts over 129 innings. With his command of his fastball and formidable
curve improving in 1956 Pascual started in 27 of his 39 appearances and went
6-18 for the lowly Senators with a 5.87 ERA, 6 complete games, and 162
strikeouts over 188.2 innings. He also surrendered a league-leading 33 home
runs. Suffering from lack of run support in 1957, Pascual finished at 8-17 with
a 4.10 ERA, 8 complete games, and 113 strikeouts over 175.2 innings. He also
wore down during the season’s second half, causing him to forego winter league
pitching in the offseason. Pascual continued his development in 1958 with an
8-12 tally, 3.15 ERA, and 146 strikeouts over 177.1 innings. Pascual enjoyed a
breakout season in 1959, posting a 17-10 record while leading the AL in
complete games (17) and shutouts (6). His ERA was 2.64 and he recorded 185
strikeouts while accumulating 238.2 innings. In addition to being an All-Star
for the first time, he placed nineteenth in league MVP voting and was also the
circuit’s best hitting pitcher as he batted .302. In 1960, a midseason shoulder
injury cost him about a month of action, but he still was an All-Star who
managed a 12-8 tally and 3.03 ERA with 143 strikeouts over 151.2 innings. The
franchise moved and became the Minnesota Twins in 1961.
1961 Season Summary
Appeared in 35
games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 35
Games Started –
33 [12, tied with Jack Kralick]
Complete Games
– 15 [2]
Wins – 15 [6,
tied with five others]
Losses – 16 [6,
tied with Gary Bell]
PCT - .484
Saves – 0
Shutouts – 8 [1,
tied with Steve Barber]
Innings Pitched
– 252.1 [5]
Hits – 205 [18,
tied with Jack Fisher]
Runs – 114 [11,
tied with Ken McBride]
Earned Runs – 97
[13, tied with Jack Kralick]
Home Runs – 26 [9,
tied with Eli Grba]
Bases on Balls
– 100 [7, tied with Gary Bell & Bill Monbouquette]
Strikeouts – 221
[1]
ERA – 3.46 [16]
Hit Batters – 3
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 7
[14, tied with Milt Pappas, Ryne Duren & John Gabler]
League-leading
strikeouts were +12 ahead of runner-up Whitey Ford
Midseason
Snapshot: 7-11, ERA – 3.75, SO – 108 in 132 IP
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Most
strikeouts, game – 15 (in 9 IP) at LA Angels 7/19
10+ strikeout
games – 5
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) at Chi. White Sox 8/23, (in 9 IP) vs.
Washington 9/23
Batting
PA – 95, AB – 85,
R – 4, H – 14, 2B – 3, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 4, BB – 5, SO – 15, SB – 0, CS – 0,
AVG - .165, GDP – 5, HBP – 0, SH – 5, SF – 0
Fielding
Chances - 55
Put Outs – 14
Assists – 40
Errors – 1
DP – 0
Pct. - .982
Awards & Honors:
All-Star
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The relocated
and renamed Twins went 70-90 to finish seventh in the
AL, 38 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees. The Twins got
off to a promising start with a 9-6 April but slumped thereafter and were 23-36
in June when manager Cookie Lavagetto was replaced by Sam Mele. Following a
brief summer lift, the club dropped down and moved into seventh place to stay
on September 17. They drew 1,256,723 fans to Metropolitan Stadium, an increase
of over 513,000 from their last season in Washington. Dealing with a sore
shoulder during the first half of the season, Pascual was 8-12 in August before
going 7-4 the rest of the way.
Aftermath of 1961:
1962 was a much better season for Pascual and the Twins as his record rose to 20-11 and he topped the league in complete games (18), shutouts (5), and strikeouts (206) while also posting a 3.32 ERA. In 1963 he led the AL in strikeouts for the third straight season with 202 while again topping the circuit in complete games (18) as he compiled a 21-9 tally and 2.46 ERA despite missing 35 days due to a shoulder ailment. He placed twelfth in league MVP voting. In 1964, Pascual’s record slipped to 15-12 but with a still-respectable 3.30 ERA,14 complete games, and 213 strikeouts over 267.1 innings. The Twins won the AL pennant in 1965 but, after winning his first eight decisions, Pascual’s performance began to drop off due to shoulder soreness that resulted in minor surgery in August. He returned to finish with a 9-3 tally and 3.35 ERA over 27 starts and 156 innings. His strikeout total was 96. He lost his only start in the World Series against the Dodgers. Pascual’s performance in 1966 dropped to 8-6 and a 4.89 ERA with only two complete games and 56 strikeouts over 103 innings pitched. In the offseason he was traded to the expansion Washington Senators. Back in the city where his major league career began, he topped the mediocre club in wins with his 12-10 record while posting a 3.28 ERA and 106 strikeouts over 164.2 innings until he suffered a broken leg while baserunning in a September game, thus ending his season. Pascual again topped the lowly Senators in wins in 1968 with his 13-12 tally to go with a 2.69 ERA, 8 complete games, and 111 strikeouts over 201 innings. A poor start in 1969 led to his being dealt to the Cincinnati Reds in July, where he did nothing to help that club’s pitching issues, and he ended up with a combined record of 2-5 with a 7.04 ERA. Released by the Reds in 1970, he caught on with the Dodgers for ten relief outings with no decisions and was let go in August. His career finally came to an end in 1971 when he was released by the Cleveland Indians after nine appearances that included one start. For his major league career, Pascual posted a 174-170 record with a 3.63 ERA, 132 complete games, 36 shutouts, 10 saves, and 2167 strikeouts over 2930.2 innings pitched. With the Senators/Twins his record was 145-141 with a 3.66 ERA, 119 complete games, 31 shutouts, and 1885 strikeouts over 2465 innings. In his lone World Series appearance, he was 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA and no strikeouts in 5 innings of work. A seven-time All-Star, he was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Following his playing career he acted as a pitching coach and scout. His brother Carlos briefly pitched for the Senators in 1950. The two are often incorrectly referenced with the nicknames “Potato” for Carlos and “Little Potato” for Camilo which was the result of a poor translation of colloquial Spanish.
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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.
