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Reported White Sox signee Martin Perez, a left-handed pitcher, has an interesting background.
For instance …
*ONE FOR THE THUMB: On June 24, 2017, Perez, then with the Texas Rangers, landed on the disabled list with a thumb injury. He suffered the boo-boo when he accidentally jammed the digit in a hotel door.
*THAT’S BULL: Following that season, Perez broke his right elbow when he fell after a bull startled him while he was working on his ranch in Venezuela.
After making a late spring debut in mid-March of 2018, Perez said he got revenge on the bull by having it slaughtered and eating it.
“It was good meat,” he explained.
*MUSIC MAN: Perez is a singer.
He belted out the Venezuelan national anthem prior to the country’s World Baseball Classic exhibition against Houston in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 8, 2023.
His version of “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo” was wonderful and here it is … https://www.mlb.com/news/martin-perez-sings-venezuelan-national-anthem?partnerID=mlbapp-iOS_article-share
The most recent singing Sox player I can recall was pitcher Miguel Gonzalez, who crooned with a mariachi band in rehearsals on Cinco de Mayo 2018 at Guaranteed Rate Field. He was good, too.
The best signing Sox performance was turned in by Lamar Johnson who delivered the national anthem before hitting two solo home runs in a 2-1 win over Oakland on Father’s Day 1977 at Comiskey Park.
*NUTS AND BOLTS: Perez is 90-87 with a 4.44 ERA in 314 games (269 starts). Pitching for the Rangers (two stints), Red Sox, Twins, Pirates and Padres, Perez amassed 1,109 strikeouts while yielding 1,710 hits and 568 walks in 1,575.2 innings. His career WHIP is 1.446.
*FAMILIAR FACE: Perez posted a 3.91 ERA in 13 games with A.J. Pierzynski behind the plate for the 2013 Rangers.
*FAMILIAR FACE II: New White Sox manager Will Venable was on the coaching staff when Perez played in Boston in 2021 and in Texas in 2023.
Thanks to Chris Lanuti and Ed Siebert of the Sox In The Basement podcast for the heads up on this one. You can listen to them analyze the Perez pick-up and enjoy my breakdown of Perez here https://www.soxinthebasement.com/
*MET KILLER: Perez is a MUST pitch when the Sox face the Mets. The 33-year old is 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA in 10 games (6 starts) vs the Mets. The Sox play at the Mets May 26-28
*SOX-CESS: Perez’s first shutout came in the Rangers 12-0 win vs the White Sox on April 18, 2014 in Texas. Adam Eaton, Leury Garcia (double) and Alexei Ramirez had the Sox hits.
Perez is the lone lefty to blank the Sox at The Ballpark in Arlington.
Perez joins Alexei Ogando (May 23, 2011) and Roger Pavlik (Sept. 7, 1995) as the only Rangers to blank the Sox at The Ballpark at Arlington.
Perez and Jon Matlack (Aug. 15, 1978) are the only Rangers lefties to blank the Sox in Texas
*HE OWNS BRYCE: Perez is limiting Bryce Harper to a .125/.222/.188 slashline with no homers or RBIs, two walks and four strikeouts in 18 plate appearances. The Sox host Harper and the Phils July 28-30.
Only Jason Hammel at .118 has held Harper to a lower average with that many plate appearances.
*HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR: Perez fashioned a perfect inning representing the Rangers at the 2022 All-Star Game.
Perez retired the Mets’ Jeff McNeil, the Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. and the Nationals’ Juan Soto on grounders to earn a hold in the fifth inning of the American League’s 3-2 win at Dodger Stadium.
*HE HAS A HIT: Perez is returning to the city where he recorded his only Major League hit.
On July 15, 2016, Perez delivered an infield single off Kyle Hendricks in the fifth inning of the Rangers 6-0 loss at Wrigley Field.
That was about the only thing that went right for Perez that day.
He gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits with two walks and a strikeout in 5.2 innings. Perez took the loss to drop to 7-6.
Perez joined the Sox Chris Sale and Anthony Ranaudo and the Phillies’ Cole Hamels as the only American League pitchers with a hit against the Cubs in their World Series season of 2016.
Perez also owns a run.
He reached on an error in the fifth by future Sox second baseman Cesar Hernandez while pitching in relief for Minnesota on April 5, 2019 in Philadelphia. Perez later scored on a single by Jake Cave.
*MR. OCTOBER: Here a few items on Perez’s postseason career:
—Perez is 0-1 with a 9.24 ERA in eight games (one start) while giving up 21 hits in 12.1 innings with 10 walks and three strikeouts in the playoffs
—He’s pitched in the postseason for Texas (2015 ALDS, 2023 ALCS and World Series) and Boston (2021 ALCS).
—Perez took the loss in his postseason debut, yielding four runs on six hits in five innings in Texas’ loss to Toronto in Game 3 of the 2015 ALDS.
—He has allowed at least one baserunner in each of his eight playoff outings and has allowed a run five of eight.
—Seven of his eight postseason appearances have been on the road and all have come in losses. He finished six of his eight playoff outings
*A LOOK AHEAD: Should Perez start the Sox opener on the mound, he will become the first Venezuelan in club history to do that.
The only Venezuelan to earn a decision for the Sox on Opening Day was reliever Tony Castillo in 1997.
Perez has never made an Opening Day start.
A Perez start in the 2025 Opener would make this the first season since 2015 (Jeff Samardzija) a pitcher in his first season with the Sox started the opener..
The last left-handed pitcher to make his Sox debut with an Opening Day start was David Wells in 2001.