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Former Cardinals pitcher Jose DeLeon dies at 63

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Feb 26, 2024 9:24 PM ET

MLB veteran pitcher José DeLeón died after a lengthy battle with cancer.

DeLeón played for five different teams in the majors from 1983 to 1995. DeLeón’s most notable stop was during his five-year stint with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jose DeLeon, a former MLB pitcher, passed away at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer. He was 63 years of age. This was posted by Hector Gomez a MLB reporter on "X". He posted the following: MLB pitcher José De León died at the age of 63 due to cancer. De León played 13… pic.twitter.com/f3ovpU1mgR

— Dan El Captain (@Mrstanleycup) February 25, 2024

DeLeón debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1983 after being selected by the team in the third round of the 1979 draft. DeLeón had a standout rookie campaign with a 7-3 record and an ERA of 2.83 across 15 games. He finished seventh in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Arguably DeLeón’s best year came as a member of the Cardinals in 1989 when he tallied 16 wins with a 3.05 ERA and WHIP of 1.03. The Dominican led the NL in strikeouts that year with 201. In five years with the Cardinals, DeLeón had an ERA of 3.59 in 159 games played.

DeLeón also had a pair of 19-loss seasons, which both tied for the NL lead in 1985 and 1990.

DeLeón had a lifetime record of 86-119 with a career ERA of 3.76 and 1,594 strikeouts across nearly 1,900 innings pitched.

Despite playing for over a decade, DeLeón only saw playoff action twice. Both appearances came during the 1993 ALCS as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. DeLeón gave up just one earned run in 4.2 postseason innings pitched.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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