José Rijo

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Jose Rijo
Pitcher
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB Debut
April 5, 1984 for the New York Yankees
Final game
September 28, 2002 for the Cincinnati Reds
Career Statistics
Record	116-91
ERA	3.24
Strikeouts	1606
Teams
New York Yankees (1984) Oakland Athletics (1985-1987) Cincinnati Reds (1988-1995, 2001-2002)
Career Highlights and Awards
All-Star (NL): 1994 World Series champion: 1990 World Series MVP: 1990 Tony Conigliaro Award (NL): 2002

José Antonio Rijo Abreu (Born May 13, 1965 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. Rijo spent his career pitching for the New York Yankees (1984), Oakland Athletics (1985-87), and Cincinnati Reds (1988-1995 and 2001-2002). While with the Oakland Athletics he struck out 16 Seattle Mariners on April 16, 1986.

When Rijo broke into the majors with the New York Yankees in 1984, he was the youngest player in either league. He did not have a good rookie season, and some observers commented that Yankee owner George Steinbrenner had orchestrated the callup, hoping to create a phenom along the lines of the crosstown Mets' 1984 rookie sensation Dwight Gooden. When this did not happen, Rijo was sent to the Oakland A's as part of a trade package for Rickey Henderson.

After three nondescript seasons with Oakland, Rijo was still considered enough of a prospect for the Cincinnati Reds to acquire him in exchange for aging slugger Dave Parker, who'd had 338 RBI over the previous three seasons.

Rijo's age eventually caught up to his talent. He was a member of the National League All Star Team in 1994. Rijo also led his league in 1993 and 1994 in games started. He led his league in 1993 in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings and in 1991 he led his league in won-loss percentage.

José Rijo (center) is honored with the 1990 World Series Most Valuable Player Award.

Rijo was the MVP of the 1990 World Series, in which Rijo's Cincinnati Reds swept the defending champion Oakland Athletics (Rijo's former team) in four games. That would be Rijo's only postseason experience, but his numbers were stellar: 3-0 in four starts with a 2.28 ERA, and 29 strikeouts in 28 innings.

The year after his All-Star season (1995), he was sidelined with a serious elbow injury. Despite several comeback attempts, his elbow troubles kept him out of baseball for five full years. Rijo made a stunning comeback to the game in 2001. In doing so, Rijo became the first major league player to appear in a game after having received a Hall of Fame vote since Minnie Minoso (who received 6 Hall of Fame votes in 1969) appeared for the Chicago White Sox in 1980.

In 2002, his final season, Rijo received the Tony Conigliaro Award. Rijo currently works as a Special Assistant to General Manager Jim Bowden of the Washington Nationals baseball team.