The rookie Elizabethton Twins needed a win to take the 1984 playoff race and reliever Ray Velasquez helped them do it, The Johnson City Press wrote.
With the tying run at the plate in the sixth inning of the seven-inning contest, Velasquez got out of it and struck out six for his third save in the span of a week, The Press wrote.
"I was just pumped up," Velasquez told The Press afterward. "I knew we needed one more game to win it. I went all out. I'm really happy."
Velasquez had that outing in his first season as a pro. He went on to see seven campaigns. He topped out at high-A.
Velasquez' career began that year in 1984, taken by the Twins in the eighth round of the draft out of La Puente High School in California.
Velasquez started with the Twins at Elizabethton. He saw 19 outings, starting three. He went 3-4, with a 3.86 ERA and seven saves.
In another August 1984 outing, Velasquez came on with two runners on base in the ninth to throw a perfect ninth inning to preserve a Elizabethton win, The Press wrote.
"It's a heck of a spot to put a 17-year-old kid in, but he came in and did the job," Elizabethton manager Fred Waters told The Press. "He did the same thing for us last week."
Velasquez moved to single-A Visalia for 1985 and returned there for 1986. He went 7-7, with 10 saves in 1985. He also turned in a 2.39 ERA. Velasquez went 14.1 innings without giving up a run early that year. He went 3-6, with a 5.50 ERA and six saves in 1986.
Velasquez moved to the Giants in a trade for 1987 and played the year at single-A Clinton. He moved to single-A San Jose for 1988. He picked up six strikeouts in an April 1988 relief outing.
Velasquez then played 1989 at single-A Salinas. He saw 66 relief outings, with a 4.26 ERA. He returned there to start 1990, but saw just six relief outings before being released to end his career.
- Johnson City Press, Aug. 10, 1984: Elizabethton gains 5-4 win
- Johnson City Press, Aug. 28, 1984: Twins take pair to win division
Made the Majors:1,401-32.2%
Never Made Majors:2,944-67.8%-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors:352
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