Athletes - Mario Soto

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	Athletes - Mario Soto

Mario Melvin Soto (born July 12 1956 in Bani, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League pitcher, mostly a starter, for the Cincinnati Reds from 1977 through 1988.

The Dominican right-hander threw quite hard. From 1981 to 1985, Soto had more strike outs than any major league pitcher, including a club-record 274 in 1982.

On October 4, 1981, Soto came very close to a no-hitter, giving up just one hit in a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Braves. Chris Chambliss's single in the 2nd inning was the only hit. However, this was not the closest Soto ever came to no-hitting a team. On May 12, 1984, against the St. Louis Cardinals, he was one out away from a no-hitter, when George Hendrick hit a home run with 2 outs in the 9th. The Reds did go on to win it in the bottom of the 9th, 2-1.

In 1983, he lost a close vote to John Denny for Cy Young Award. That year, and the year after, were arguably Soto's two best seasons. Together in the two season, he was 35-20 with a 2.92 ERA, marking his spot as the Reds ace.

After he became innefective, he was released, and injuries plagued any chance of a comeback with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In a 12-season career, all for Cincinnati, he was 100-92 with a 3.47 ERA in 297 games, 224 of them starts. He had 72 career complete games and 13 shutouts. He allowed 667 earned runs and struck out 1449 batters in 1730 and 1/3 innings pitched.

Highlights

3-time National League All-Star (1982, 83, 84)
Top 10 in Cy Young Award voting, four times (1980, 82, 83, 84), finished 2nd in 1983
Top 5 in ERA twice (1982, 83), Top 10 one more time (1980)
Led the league in complete games, twice (1983, 84)
Top 5 in shutouts, twice (1981, 83)
Top 5 in strike outs, six times (1980, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85), and led the league in Strike Outs per 9 IP twice (1980, 82)
Top 5 in wins, three times (1981, 83, 84)
Buck Canel Award winner in 1983 (outstanding Latin-American in the majors)
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Member (inducted in 2001)

Trivia

In addition to his fireball, Soto also had a fiery temper that resulted in him being suspended during the 1984 season not once, but twice. In the first incident, a May 27 game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Ron Cey hit what was originally ruled a home run. The Reds argued, including Soto, who shoved Steve Rippley, the third-base umpire who had signaled home run. After a conference, the umpires overturned the call and ruled a foul ball. The Cubs then protested. The umpires also told Reds' manager Vern Rapp that Soto was ejected, prompting Soto to charge the field, where he tackled Cub coach Don Zimmer, triggering a 10-minute brawl. Four days later, National League president Chub Feeney suspended Soto for five games.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Mario Soto ]

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