Ubaldo Jiménez García (born January 22, 1984) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles. Jiménez was an MLB All-Star in 2010. That year, he pitched the first no-hitter in Rockies' franchise history.
Jimenez earned his 100th MLB career victory on September 22, 2015, as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, while pitching against the Washington Nationals. In 2016, he became an American citizen.
Early life
Jiménez was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. His father, Ubaldo, served in the Dominican Army and the family never had enough money to buy a house. At 16 years old, he was offered a contract by the New York Mets but his mother said that he could not sign because he needed to finish high school. He signed with the Colorado Rockies on April 25, 2001, for $50,000 in part because they allowed him to skip training to finish high school.
Career
Colorado Rockies
2006–2008
Jiménez made his MLB debut on September 26, 2006. He came in as a relief pitcher for the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning of an 11–4 home loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He allowed two hits and no runs. He would make his first MLB start on October 1 against the Chicago Cubs on the road, which was the last game of the regular season. Jiménez allowed three hits and three earned runs over a span of innings in an 8–5 loss. He didn't receive a decision for the game.
Jiménez earned his first MLB win on July 29, 2007, at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched six innings, giving up four hits and two earned runs. The Rockies won the game, 9–6. On September 5, he gained the distinction of giving up Barry Bonds's 762nd and final career home run. Jiménez made his Major League Baseball postseason debut on October 6 during Game 3 of the 2007 National League Division Series in Colorado against the Philadelphia Phillies. He started the game and pitched six innings, allowing three hits and one earned run, as part of a 2–1 victory (the win gave the Rockies a series sweep over the Phillies). However, Jiménez didn't receive a decision for the game. He started his second consecutive game of the postseason on October 12, which was Game 2 of the 2007 National League Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road. He pitched five innings, giving up one hit and one earned run. The Rockies would eventually win the game, 3–2, but Jiménez received his second straight postseason no-decision. Colorado swept Arizona and faced the Boston Red Sox in the 2007 World Series. Jiménez started Game 2, suffering a 2–1 loss in Boston. He allowed three hits and two earned runs in innings. Boston went on to sweep Colorado.
In 2008, Jiménez went 12–12 with a 3.99 earned run average. His 34 starts led the National League. He threw the fastest fastball among starters in the Major Leagues, averaging 94.9 mph.
2009–2011
During the 2008 offseason, Jiménez signed a four-year, $10 million contract with a club option up to 2013–14. In the 2009 season, he went 15–12 with a 3.47 ERA, his second full season as a starter in the majors. Jiménez pitched at least six innings in a franchise-record 25 consecutive starts from May 1 to September 7.
Jiménez pitched for the Dominican Republic during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. On March 10, he set a single-start strikeout record, fanning 10 of the 13 batters he faced during his 65-pitch, four-inning performance in Round One against the Netherlands.
On April 17, 2010, Jiménez no-hit the Atlanta Braves 4–0 at Turner Field, the first no-hitter in the history of the franchise. He walked 6 batters, while striking out 7, and throwing a career-high 128 pitches (72 for strikes). He faced 31 batters in the game. The no-hitter was preserved by a diving catch in center field by Dexter Fowler in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jiménez's fastball reached 100 mph three times during the game, and it averaged 96.8 mph. During the no-hitter, Jiménez switched from the windup to the stretch delivery after issuing a lead-off walk in the fifth inning (his sixth total walk of the game). Following the switch, he didn't allow a walk for the remainder of the game. Jiménez also helped his own cause offensively, scoring Brad Hawpe with a fourth-inning single; he himself scored on a Carlos González double one batter later.