Frankie de la Cruz

Eulogio "Frankie" De La Cruz Martínez (;) (March 12, 1984 – March 14, 2021) was a Dominican baseball pitcher who played four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), as well as one season each in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He played for the Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions from 2007 to 2012. He went on to play baseball in Italy and Mexico, as well as several winter leagues.

Early life De La Cruz was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on March 12, 1984. He attended Juan Pablo Duarte High School in his hometown. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers on September 6, 2001.

Professional career Detroit Tigers Minor leagues De La Cruz played in rookie-level and Single-A from 2002 through 2004. He played for the High-A Lakeland Tigers and in Double-A in 2006. The following year, he went 5–6 with a 3.43 ERA with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves and 0–0 in innings with an 11.57 ERA with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.

Major leagues De La Cruz made his MLB debut on June 18, 2007, at the age of 23, Overall, he finished his first season in the major leagues with a 6.75 earned run average (ERA) and 5 strikeouts in innings pitched.

Florida Marlins De La Cruz spent the majority of the 2008 season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. He compiled an 18.00 ERA, 4 strikeouts, and 11 walks in 9 innings pitched on the major league roster.

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres acquired De La Cruz on March 25, 2009, Just over a month later, he was designated for assignment after three games pitched (5.40 ERA in innings) He had a 2–3 record, a 2.52 ERA, and 42 strikeouts across innings in the minor league Eastern League. He was subsequently promoted to the major league roster and compiled a 7.84 ERA in nine games. He became a free agent after the season. De La Cruz registered a 2.77 ERA with 9 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched for the Brewers that year. He was subsequently outrighted to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs one month later.

Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions After being released by the Cubs, De La Cruz signed with the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. De La Cruz pitched to a 2.00 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched for the Lions across 6 appearances. He had a combined 3–11 record, a 6.52 ERA, and 65 strikeouts with the Huntsville Stars and Nashville Sounds in 2013. He had a 6–6 record, a 4.91 ERA, and 92 strikeouts across innings pitched that season. He played for Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League from November to December 2020, his second stint with the team.