Sully Baseball Salutes Pascual Perez

Former Pirates, Braves, Expos and Yankees pitcher Pascual Perez was killed in his home today. And from now on, this event will be what defines his life on line and in internet searches from now on.

It is a shame.

While he played Perez was a fun, totally unpredictable and exciting if controversial player.

But he also could be a brilliant pitcher, going 15-8 and 14-8 with some less than brilliant Braves teams in the mid 1980s.

He landed in Montreal and was part of one of my favorite pitching staffs of all time in the late 1980s. He pitched with Dennis Martinez, Bryn Smith, Tim Burke and briefly with Mark Langston as the Expos played entertaining if not championship caliber baseball.

He had a massive mane of Jheri curls, he got lost trying to find Fulton County Stadium. He would fire a finger gun at opposing hitter and sprint back to the dugout.

And once he threw a rain shortened no hitter in Philadelphia.

His career was cut short by a drug suspension and I admit I thought that might had to do something with his murder.

His much milder mannered brother Melido pitched in the majors. Another brother, Carlos, was a free spirit with the Expos. His cousin Yorkis Perez also played in the majors.

I choose to remember him that way. Instead of being a victim of violence in the Domincan Republic, I will think of him as a sometimes great and always fun pitcher from the 1980s.

Rest in peace, Pascual.
I hope you do not get lost going to where you are heading.