Julián Ladera (July 15, 1928 – September 14, 1973) was a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. Listed at 5' 10" (1.82 m), 165 lb (65 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.
A reliable and durable pitcher, Ladera spent 16 years in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League from 1949 through 1965. Although a starter for most of his career, he also filled significant relief roles coming out from the bullpen, serving as a closer, middle reliever, or set-up man as well. His repertoire of pitches included a heavy fastball, a changeup, and a curve which he threw from a sidearm angle.
Notably, Ladera also hurled in the Minor leagues, Mexican baseball and the Caribbean Series during the same span of time, being comfortable in his jack-of-all-trades role along the way in the many leagues in which he played.
Early life
Ladera was born in Carmen de Uria, a ghost village of the State of Vargas located in the north coastal region of Venezuela. He grew up and was raised in Catia La Mar, one of the most important cities located in Vargas state and a strong fan base of the Tiburones de La Guaira baseball club. As a teenager, he played sandlot ball and later joined a local amateur team. He then heard about Venezuelan league tryouts in Caracas and went with about 50 other players. Only a few of them made the cut to keep, including him. Ladera had no baseball position, but the league was urged for hard-throwing pitchers, so he seemed like a good candidate for the mound. It took a few years to take his raw talent and turn him into a genuine pitcher.
Professional career
Venezuelan baseball
Ladera moved around for a while, as the Venezuelan league shifted players as needed to help teams stay afloat. He made his professional debut during the winter of 1949–1950 with the Cervecería Caracas club. He played for them in two seasons, before joining the Navegantes del Magallanes in 1951–1952 and then found himself on the move again, this time to the Patriotas de Venezuela during the midseason. He emerged with the Patriotas in 1952–1953, leading the league in shutouts (3) and complete games (8), while recording a solid 3.35 earned run average in 22 games. He finished with a win–loss record of 6–9, even though he suffered from lack of run support. He then moved to the Santa Marta BBC in 1954–1955.
Ladera amassed a 17–31 record and a 4.66 ERA in 106 games during his first six seasons in the league. Finally, he found stability after moving to the Industriales de Valencia for the next eight seasons.
Ladera quickly became a household name and a reference point in the Industriales de Valencia history. The Industriales joined the league in the 1965–1966 season as a replacement for the Santa Marta club. They won five season titles, four championships and three sub-championships in its 13-season history, representing Venezuela in the first stage of the Caribbean Series in the 1956 and 1958 tournaments.
In his first season for Valencia, Ladera led the league in ERA (2.41) and relief appearances (23), pitching also a complete game in four starts, while compiling a 6–2 record with 22 strikeouts in 71.0 innings pitched. He led the team in games pitched (27) and tied his pal Jim Pearce for the most wins, being surpassed only by Ron Mrozinski (8) and Emilio Cueche (7). Managed by Regino Otero, the Industriales won the title with a 33–21 record in its debuting season and advanced to the 1956 Caribbean Series. Ladera made three relief appearances in the Series and did not have a decision.
In 1956–1957 he went 6–4 with a 3.78 ERA in 22 games, including four starts, one complete game, and a career-high innings. Valencia won again the title, but lost to the Leones del Caracas in the championship series. He then served as a reinforcement in the Leones roster during the 1957 Caribbean Series, where he tossed scoreless innings in two relief appearances, and also hurled a 7–3 complete game victory over Duke Maas and the Indios de Mayagüez of Puerto Rico in Game 7 of the Series. In the match, Ladera allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out five on a talented lineup that featured Bob Aspromonte, Canena Márquez, Herb Plews, Bob Smith and Bob Speake, among others.