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{{short description|Dominican baseball player (born 1965)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{family name hatnote|Rijo|Abreu|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=José Rijo
|image=Jose Rijo 1984.jpg
|caption= Rijo in 1984
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1965|5|13}}
|birth_place=[[San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 5
|debutyear=1984
|debutteam=New York Yankees
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 28
|finalyear=2002
|finalteam=Cincinnati Reds
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=116–91
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=3.24
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=1,606
|teams=
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1984}})
* [[Oakland Athletics]] ({{mlby|1985}}–{{mlby|1987}})
* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{mlby|1988}}–{{mlby|1995}}, {{mlby|2001}}–{{mlby|2002}})
|highlights=
* [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1994]])
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1990}})
* [[World Series MVP]] (1990)
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders|NL strikeout leader]] (1993)
* [[Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum|Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''José Antonio Rijo Abreu''' (born May 13, 1965) is a [[Dominican Republic|Dominican]] former [[pitcher]] in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) who spent the majority of his career with the [[Cincinnati Reds]] (1988–1995 and 2001–2002). Signed by the [[New York Yankees]] as an amateur [[free agent]] in 1980, Rijo made his MLB debut with them in 1984, and also played in MLB for the [[Oakland Athletics]]. He pitched and batted right-handed, stood {{convert|6|ft|1|in|m}} tall, and weighed {{convert|200|lb}} during his playing career.<ref name="brstats">{{cite web |work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rijojo01.shtml |title=Jose Rijo Statistics and History |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref>
The most notable success of Rijo's career came as a member of the Reds, where each year as a [[starting pitcher]] from 1988 to 1993, he posted an [[earned run average]] (ERA) below 3.00. He led the Reds to the [[1990 World Series]] title and was named [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award|World Series MVP]] as Cincinnati swept the defending champion [[1990 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland A's]].
In 1993, he led the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders|in strikeouts]] and [[Wins Above Replacement]] (WAR), at 10.6. He was named to the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] in [[1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1994]].
Elbow injuries sidelined Rijo for most of the 1995 season and the entire 1996−2000 seasons. In 2001, he returned to the Reds as a [[relief pitcher]]. By doing so, he became the first player to appear in a game after receiving a [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] vote since [[Minnie Miñoso]] in 1976.
Rijo won the [[Tony Conigliaro Award]] in 2002. He retired after that season, and was elected to the [[Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum|Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame]] in 2005.
==Playing career==
Plagued by injuries during his career, he left the major leagues at age 30 before returning six years later for {{frac|1|1|2}} seasons.<ref name="brstats" /> Rijo is perhaps best known for his performance in the [[1990 World Series]], when he recorded two [[win (baseball)|victories]] in a four-game sweep over the defending champion [[Oakland A's]], including a two-hitter in the final Game Four.<ref name="worldseries">{{cite web |publisher=[[Baseball-Reference]] |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1990_WS.shtml |title=1990 World Series - CIN vs. OAK |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> Rijo's performance earned him the [[World Series MVP Award]]<ref name="mvp">{{cite web |publisher=[[ESPN]] |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/1402/jose-rijo |title=Jose Rijo Stats, News, Photos |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> as the Reds won their first championship in 14 years.
When Rijo broke into the majors with the [[New York Yankees]] in 1984, he was 18 years old and the youngest player in either league.<ref name="brstats" /> The previous year, he'd had a 15–5 record in the Florida League with a 1.68 ERA.<ref name="minors">{{cite web |publisher=[[Baseball-Reference]] |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=rijo--001jos |title=Jose Rijo Minor League Statistics & History |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> But he did not have a good rookie season, and some observers (notably [[ESPN]]) commented that Yankee owner [[George Steinbrenner]] had orchestrated the call-up, hoping to create a [[phenomenon|phenom]] along the lines of the crosstown [[New York Mets|Mets]]' 1984 rookie sensation [[Dwight Gooden]].<ref name="youngpitchers">{{cite web |publisher=[[ESPN]] |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?page=felixsidebar/090626 |title=Felix Hernandez, Clayton Kershaw and other young pitchers |date=June 26, 2009 |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> On December 5, 1984, the Yankees traded Rijo with [[Eric Plunk]], [[Tim Birtsas]], [[Jay Howell]], and [[Stan Javier]] to the [[Oakland Athletics]] for [[Rickey Henderson]], [[Bert Bradley]], and cash.<ref>{{cite web|author=Murray Chass |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/06/sports/yanks-and-a-s-complete-deal-for-henderson.html |title=Yanks And A'S Complete Deal For Henderson - The New York Times |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 6, 1984 |access-date=September 15, 2020}}</ref>
While with the [[Oakland Athletics]], he struck out 16 [[Seattle Mariners]] on April 16, 1986,<ref name="rijo86">{{cite web |publisher=[[Baseball-Reference]] |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?n1=rijojo01&t=p&year=1986 |title=Jose Rijo 1986 Pitching Gamelogs |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> setting a club record.<ref name="timeline">{{cite web |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/oak/history/timeline5.jsp |title=Athletics Timeline |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> In his next start, he struck out 14 in a 2-hitter against the same Mariners organization, despite losing the game.<ref name="rijo86" /> But his time in Oakland was otherwise largely nondescript, with just 17 wins in three seasons.<ref name="brstats" /> Even so, Rijo was still considered enough of a prospect for the Reds to acquire him in exchange for aging slugger [[Dave Parker]],<ref name="brstats" /> who'd had 338 [[run batted in|runs batted in]] over the previous three seasons.<ref name="parker">{{cite web |publisher=[[Baseball-Reference]] |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/parkeda01.shtml |title=Dave Parker Statistics and History |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Jose Rijo pitching for the Cincinnati Reds in Riverfront Stadium in 1990.jpg|thumb|Rijo pitching for Cincinnati in 1990]]
Rijo's age eventually caught up to his talent. He was a member of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Team]] in 1994.<ref name="brstats" /> Rijo also led the league in 1993 and 1994 in [[games started]].<ref name="brstats" /> He led the NL in 1993 in [[strikeout]]s and [[strikeouts per nine innings]], and in 1991 he led the NL in winning percentage.<ref name="brstats" />
Rijo was 3–0 in the 1990 postseason,<ref name="brstats" /> including two World Series wins against Oakland, the team that had traded him away three years before.<ref name="worldseries" /> After winning Game One by a 7–0 score, he shut down the A's on two hits in Game Four (both in the first inning), ending the Series with a 0.59 [[earned run average]] and 15 strikeouts in {{fraction|15|1|3}} innings.<ref name="worldseries" /> It was the only postseason experience of his entire career.<ref name="brstats" />
Rijo pitched a one-hitter against the [[Colorado Rockies]] in [[1993 Cincinnati Reds season|1993]].<ref name="cincolboxscore">{{cite web |author=Baseball-Reference |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199309250.shtml |title=September 25, 1993 Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies Box Score and Play by Play|author-link=Baseball-Reference }}</ref> The year after his All-Star season (1995), Rijo was sidelined with a serious elbow injury.<ref name="elbow">{{cite news |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-8340764.html |title=Baseball: Rijo Faces "Tommy John" surgery |date=August 20, 1995 |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> Despite several comeback attempts, his elbow troubles kept him out of baseball for five full years.<ref name="brstats" /> Rijo made an unexpected comeback to the game in 2001, returning to Cincinnati as a reliever.<ref name="brstats" /> In doing so, Rijo became the first major league player to appear in a game after having received a [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] vote since [[Minnie Miñoso]] (who received six Hall of Fame votes in 1969) appeared for the [[Chicago White Sox]] in 1976 and 1980.<ref name="usatoday">{{cite web |author=Steve DiMeglio |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2002-04-24/special.htm |title=Rijo's love for baseball brought him all the way back |work=[[USA Today]] |date=April 23, 2002 |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> In 2008, Rijo was again on the Hall of Fame ballot; he received no votes.<ref name="baseballpage">{{cite web |author=The Baseball Page |url=http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/rijojo01.php |title=Jose Rijo Facts |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref>
In 2002, his final season, Rijo received the [[Tony Conigliaro Award]].<ref name="tsn">{{cite web |publisher=[[The Sports Network]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-95407370.html |title=Reds' Rijo earns Tony Conigliaro Award |date=December 13, 2002 |access-date=August 5, 2009}}{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He made a handful of starts that year, including a win in his first start since 1995, and the last game at [[Riverfront Stadium]].<ref name="finalgame">{{cite web |author=Chris Haft |url=http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20020913&content_id=127573&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin |title=Rijo to start in Cinergy Field finale |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |date=September 13, 2002 |access-date=August 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310173357/http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20020913&content_id=127573&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin |archive-date=March 10, 2011 }}</ref> Rijo was on the 2003 Reds roster, but he suffered an elbow injury causing him to miss the entire season, and retired soon thereafter.
==Life after retirement==
Rijo used to work as a special assistant to general manager [[Jim Bowden (baseball)|Jim Bowden]] of the [[Washington Nationals]] baseball team.<ref name="nats">{{cite web |author=Jose Arangure Jr. |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3934998 |title=Nats to fire special assistant Rijo |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=February 26, 2009 |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> Starting in February 2009, he took a leave of absence from his position after it was discovered that one of Rijo's scouting finds, shortstop [[Esmailyn Gonzalez]], was actually named Carlos David Alvarez Lugo and was four years older than the Nationals believed when they signed him.<ref name="nats" /> On February 25, Rijo was dismissed from the Nationals' organization and his Dominican baseball academy closed down.<ref name="natsfired">{{cite web |author=Bill Ladson |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090225&content_id=3884362 |title=Rijo's tenure with Nats may be over |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |date=February 25, 2009 |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref> In 2013, the Nationals filed suit against an insurance company to recoup $1 million of the signing bonus; Lugo had testified that "he kicked back $300,000 of his bonus to Jose Rijo" (in January 2011 Rijo had denied receiving any money).<ref name=kilgore>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=August 13, 2013| title=Nationals suing insurance company over 'Smiley Gonzalez' signing bonus |first=Adam |last=Kilgore}}</ref>
In December 2011, the Dominican Republic's Anti-Money Laundering sought to question Rijo in relation to his business dealings with Matías "Daniel" Avelino Castro, a drug trafficker who was alleged to be the mastermind of the murder of journalist [[José Agustín Silvestre de los Santos]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2011-international-reviews-nl-east/ |title=2011 International Reviews: NL East |first=Ben |last=Badler |date=March 19, 2012 |website=[[Baseball America]] |access-date= July 31, 2019}}</ref> In July 2012, he was charged with money laundering;<ref name=kilgore/> according to a prosecutor, "about 80 percent of the assets of fugitive drug suspect Avelino Castro were in Rijo's name", including two hotels. Prosecutors did not issue an arrest warrant, but asked a court to order Rijo to stay in the country.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[ESPN]]|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/8215439/ex-world-series-mvp-jose-rijo-charged-dominican |access-date=July 31, 2019| title=Jose Rijo charged in Dominican |date=July 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2012/07/31/ex-big-leagues-star-pitcher-was-alleged-kingpins-front-man-prosecutors-say/ |newspaper=[[Dominican Today]]| date= July 31, 2012 |access-date= July 31, 2019 | title=Ex big leagues star pitcher was alleged kingpin's front man, prosecutors say}}</ref> A hotel Rijo claimed he owned, formerly owned by Castro, had tested positive for cocaine.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2012/07/30/hotel-claimed-by-ex-star-pitcher-tests-positive-for-drugs-prosecutor/ |access-date=July 31, 2019 |date=July 30, 2012 |title=Hotel claimed by ex star pitcher tests positive for drugs, Prosecutor}}</ref>
Rijo was once married to [[Juan Marichal]]'s daughter, Rosie.<ref name="post">{{cite news |author=Bill Brubaker |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-11-sp-198-story.html |title=Jose Rijo Reaches 'School of the Big Time' |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=April 11, 1991 |access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref>
Rijo had a supporting role in the 2008 baseball film ''[[Sugar (2008 film)|Sugar]]''.
Rijo became eligible for the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 2001. 75% of the vote was necessary for induction, and 5% was necessary to stay on the ballot. He received 0.2% of the vote, and was dropped off the [[BBWAA]] ballot.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/hof_2001.shtml Hall of Fame voting, 2001]</ref> He again became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2008 since he played in 2001 after a six-year hiatus. He received no votes and fell off the ballot.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/hof_2008.shtml Hall of Fame voting, 2008]</ref>
==Awards and achievements==
;Awards
* [[Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Month Award|MLB Pitcher of the Month]] (September [[1992 Major League Baseball season|1992]])
* 2× [[Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Month Award|MLB Pitcher of the Month]] (May 14, 1989; September 23, 1990)
* [[Tony Conigliaro Award]] ([[2002 Major League Baseball season|2002]])
;National League statistical leader
* 2× Games started leader (1993, 1994)
* Strikeouts leader (1993)
* [[Strikeouts per 9 innings pitched]] leader (1993)
* [[Walks plus hits per inning pitched]] leader (1991)
* Winning percentage leader (1991)
* [[Wins Above Replacement]] leader (1993)
;American and National League statistical top ten
* 6× [[Adjusted ERA+]] (1988, 1990−94)
* 6× [[Earned run average]] (1988, 1990−94)
* 3× Games started (1992−94)
* 2× [[Innings pitched]] (1993, 1994)
* 6× [[Strikeout]]s (1986, 1990−94)
* 7× Strikeouts per 9 innings pitched leader (1986, 1988, 1990−94)
* 3× Walks plus hits per inning pitched (1991−93)
* 3× [[Win–loss record (pitching)|Wins]] (1990−92)
* 4× Wins Above Replacement (1990−93)
==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
* [http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=was Washington Nationals official site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051127021349/http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=was |date=2005-11-27 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040210123628/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/hof%5Fvoting/year/1969.htm 1969 BBWAA Hall of Fame Balloting]
{{1990 Cincinnati Reds}}
{{World Series MVPs}}
{{Tony Conigliaro Award}}
{{NL strikeout champions}}
{{Caribbean Series MVPs}}
{{Cincinnati Reds Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rijo, Jose}}
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[[Category:Fort Lauderdale Yankees players]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast Yankees players]]
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