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Teddy Higuera and Milwaukee's Latino Baseball Heroes

By Brett R on Sep 29, 2014 3:08 PM


Milwaukee has seen many great Latino baseball players with both the Braves and the Brewers. From Felix Mantilla and Juan Pizarro of the old Braves, to Carlos Gomez and Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers today, they have been vital to Milwaukee's baseball heritage. It's difficult to pick any single player to feature, so I've selected one I fondly remember from the great Brewers teams of the Eighties - Teddy Higuera.

Teodoro Valenzuela Higuera of Los Mochis, Mexico came to the Brewers organization in 1983 from the Ciudad Juarez team in the Mexican League. He made a splash in his 1985 Major League debut, winning 15 games and pitching over 200 innings. He maintained this heavy workload over the following three seasons, winning another 54 games and achieving a season career-low 2.45 ERA in 1988.

On the mound, he had a tough, intimidating presence and was amazing to watch. He came in 2nd place for the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1985 behind Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox, and then came in 2nd for the AL Cy Young Award in 1986, losing to Roger Clemens of the Red Sox. He made the AL All-Star Team in 1986.

Injuries diminished his time on the mound from 1989-1991, and he ended up missing the entire 1992 season. After brief comeback attempts in 1993 and 1994, Higuera's time with the Brewers ended and he announced his retirement not long after.

Today, Teddy Higuera continues to work in his native Mexico as a pitching coach, working with Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009. He was named to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Thanks for all of the great baseball memories, Teddy! True Brewers fans haven't forgotten you.

 

Sources: Baseball-Reference.com and MLBReports.com

 



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