Faustino Corrales Denis

Cuban baseball player, left-handed pitcher. With 23 National Series, he plays first for the Forestales team (Baseball Team) and later for Pinar del Río, also joining Team Cuba on several occasions. He achieves the mark of 2,000 strikeouts in the National Baseball Series. He retires from active sports in 2005.

Born in Pinar del Río. He was one of three pitchers in the National Baseball Series who achieved the mark of 2,000 strikeouts in his sports career. He also holds the record for strikeouts in a single game with 22. He joined Cuba's team in '99 at the Pan American Games.

He pitched for more than 20 years in Cuba and upon retirement appears in the statistics among the all-time leaders in several departments. He led the league in strikeouts on four occasions.

He first stands out in 1983-1984, when he pitched for the Forestales team and struck out 143 batters that season. Faustino threw a no-hit no-run on November 19, 1991. For the 1991-1992 National Series, he ties Roberto Ibáñez and Jorge Antonio Martínez Gerardo for the league lead with three shutouts. He also finishes second in strikeouts with 100.

He makes his Team Cuba debut in the 1994 Baseball World Cup. He had a record of 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA to help Cuba win the gold medal, striking out 14 and allowing only three hits in 10 innings.

In 1996-1997, he helps Pinar del Río win the title, along with Pedro Luis Lazo, José A. Contreras and Abel Madera.

On December 20, 2000, he strikes out 22 batters in a nine-inning game for a new Cuba record for a 9-inning game. Rogelio Garcia held the record for any game with 24. Faustino breaks the 31-year-old record of 20 strikeouts in nine innings held by Santiago Changa Mederos.

He wins 2 games with an ERA of 1.15 in the 2001 World Tournament of Ports by defeating the Dutch team in the final. He struck out 21 batters in 15 2/3 innings pitched.

He retires after 2004-2005 with 23 national series. For 2008-2009, the left-hander ranks third in Cuba's history in seasons pitched (behind Carlos Yanes and Misael López), fifth in games started with (381), eleventh in wins with (172), eleventh in games lost with (135), ninth in innings pitched with (2544 1/3), second in strikeouts (2,360, behind Rogelio García) and second in walks (1,198, behind Carlos Yanes). His lifetime ERA was 3.29.