Adrián Zabala

Adrián Zabala Rodríguez (August 26, 1916 – January 4, 2002) was a Cuban-born professional baseball pitcher. He played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants in 1945 and 1949. The , left-hander was a native of San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba.

Amateur ball, minor leagues, and Cuban ball Zabala played amateur baseball in Cuba in the mid-1930s, signing with the minor league Panama City Pelicans in 1937. He continued to play professionally in Cuba in the winter while pitching minor league ball independently, then with Jersey City, a Giants farm club. He pitched two seasons for the Pericos de Puebla, allowing him to return to the Giants.

Second major league stint Perhaps his finest major league effort came on July 31, 1949, his first game back in New York since 1945. Zabala started the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field and pitched a complete game shutout, winning 9–0. Zabala spent the rest of the season with the Giants, posting a 2–3 record with a 5.27 ERA in 15 games.

Return to the minors In 1950, Zabala was sent back to the minors, where he played with the Minneapolis Millers until 1953. He was then traded to the San Francisco Seals in October with two other players and cash for pitcher Windy McCall. In 1955, he joined the Jacksonville Braves, finishing his career there in 1956.

Career overview Zabala's MLB career totals include 26 games pitched, 4 wins, 7 losses, 9 starts, 3 complete games, 1 shutout, 8 games finished, and 1 save. He allowed 47 earned runs in 84.1 innings pitched, giving him an ERA of 5.02. Overall, he pitched professionally for twenty years.

Death Zabala died at the age of 85 in Jacksonville, Florida.