Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana

Miguel Cuellar. He was a Cuban baseball player who performed as a pitcher in the Cuban Professional Baseball League, in the Minor Leagues and in the American Major Leagues. He was a left-handed pitcher.

He was born in Santa Clara, Villa Clara, located in the central region of Cuba. During his time as an active player, he had a height of 6.0 feet and weighed 165 pounds.

He started as an amateur player, until he was signed in 1957 by the Cincinnati Reds in the Major Leagues, where he remained from 1959 to 1977.

He made his debut in the 1956 season with the Almendares club, participating in that demanding winter ball until 1961, but with 21 games won and 28 losses, 248 strikeouts and an effectiveness average of 3.09. He was present at the 1959 Caribbean Series, an edition won by the Almendares representatives, and to which he contributed with one victory.

In the 1960-1961 season, playing for Almendares, he was a co-leader in shutouts with three.

He made his debut on April 18, 1959 with the Cincinnati Reds, in 1964 he did so for the St. Louis Cardinals, in 1965 with the Houston Astros, from 1969 to 1976, he did so for the Baltimore Orioles and in 1977 he finished with the California Angels.

In the Minor Leagues he acted with Jacksonville, Syracuse, Indianapolis, Jersey City and Knoxville. During his stay in Jacksonville, he achieved nine victories with one loss.

He also played for the Cubans Sugar Kings of the International League of Florida and the Sultans of Monterrey in the Mexican Baseball League.

In 1965 he signed for the St. Louis Cardinals, who obtained him from the Cincinnati Reds, winning only five games and was returned to Jacksonville.

In 1966 he was traded by the Cardinals to the Houston Astros. That year he flourished in the oldest of the circuits, the National League, achieving 12 victories with 10 losses, being surpassed only by the also left-handed Sandy Koufax, who bettered him in earned run average. The Cuban's average was 2.22 earned runs in nine-inning games.

In the 1967 season, he achieved a record of 16 victories with 11 losses, achieving in 1968 a balance of eight victories with 11 losses, the team traded him along with outfielder Curt Blefary to the Baltimore Orioles.

That year he participated in the All-Star Game, representing the Houston Astros. This classic of stars has been one of the most exciting and great players from the history of baseball paraded through it. The most valuable player of this game was Atanasio Tony Pérez, Cuellar's countryman. For the National League, another great Latin pitcher from the Dominican Republic, Juan Marichal, started pitching.

The game went into 15 innings, with the National League winning by two runs to one, the Cuban pitched the 11th inning, Tony Pérez hit a home run for the victory in the 15th inning.

In 1969 playing for the Orioles, he became one of the best pitchers in the American League, that season he won 23 games with 18 complete games, 122 strikeouts given with an earned run average of 2.38. He won the Cy Young Award in a tie with Dennis McLain. That year he achieved the Orioles' only victory in the World Series over the New York Mets.

In that game he struck out 14 batters, with four walks, his great performance during that year led him to be named the best left-handed pitcher of the American League, on the All-Star team, compiled by the weekly "The Sporting News".

In 1970 he won 24 games with only four losses and managed to complete 21. That year he took part in the World Series, working in the game that put his former team out of commission, Cincinnati, ending the classic in the fifth game.

In 1971 he achieved 21 victories with four losses. In the World Series that year, he participated in the decisive game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was the seventh of the classic. The first four innings were sensational, dispatching them one by one, and surprisingly striking out 12 Pirates batters.

In 1972 with the Orioles, he appeared in 35 games, of which he achieved 18 victories with 12 losses, pitched in 248.1 innings, allowing 71 earned runs for an effectiveness average of 2.57.

In 1973 he took part in 38 games, achieving 18 successes with 13 losses, pitched in 267 innings, with 84 earned runs allowed, achieving an effectiveness average of 3.27.

In 1974 he appeared in 38 games, achieved 20 victories with ten losses, in 269.1 innings pitched, allowing 86 earned runs for an effectiveness average of 3.11.

In the 1975 season, he participated in 36 games, achieving 14 victories with 12 losses, pitched in 256 innings, allowing 104 earned runs for an effectiveness average of 3.66.

In 1976, his last year with the Orioles, he participated in 26 games, achieving only four victories with 13 losses, pitched in 107 innings, where he allowed 59 earned runs for an effectiveness average of 4.96.

He finished in the 1977 season, doing so with the California Angels, with only two games of action, he did not achieve a victory and lost one in 3.1 innings, allowing seven earned runs for an effectiveness average of 18.90.

During his 15-year career he had a record of 185 games won with 130 lost, an effectiveness average of 3.14. He pitched in 2808 innings, giving 1632 strikeouts, allowing 222 home runs, allowing 1130 runs. He started 379 games, completing 172, with 11 saved games and 36 shutouts.

As a batter he appeared 661 times at bat, scored 37 runs, connected 76 hits, eight doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 33 runs batted in, nine walks, struck out 304 times to finish with an average of .115.

He participated in four All-Star Games and four World Series, played in Cuba, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States.

He died in a hospital in Orlando, Florida, victim of stomach cancer on April 2, 2010.