Francisco Rodriguez is officially a Long Island Duck
Francisco Rodriguez of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches the seventh inning of the MLB All-Star game on July 14, 2015, in Cincinnati. Credit: AP / John Minchillo
The Ducks officially announced the signing of former All-Star closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez on Monday morning. Ducks president and general manager Michael Pfaff had confirmed the agreement to Newsday and on Twitter on Sunday afternoon.
The Ducks began their season Friday night and won two out of three games at Southern Maryland. They were off Monday. Rodriguez, 36, is expected to join them this week in New Jersey when the Ducks play the Somerset Patriots, Pfaff said in a text to Newsday.
“That’s the plan,” Pfaff said.
The Ducks’ home opener is Friday night in Central Islip against Southern Maryland.
“Francisco has been one of professional baseball’s most prolific relief pitchers for nearly two decades,” Pfaff said in a news release. “He is eager to begin this new chapter of his career, and we look forward to providing him with a chance to keep playing the game in pursuit of a return to the Major Leagues.”
Rodriguez, who ranks fourth in MLB history with 437 saves, had a 7.82 ERA and seven saves in 28 appearances with the Tigers last season. He spent spring training with the Phillies this year on a minor-league contract but was released on March 24.
Rodriguez, a six-time All-Star, set the major-league record for saves in a season with 62 in 2008 while playing for the Angels. He played parts of three seasons with the Mets, recording 83 saves and a 3.05 ERA. His best year with the Mets was 2009, when he saved 35 games and was selected to the All-Star team.
Rodriguez played parts of 16 seasons in the majors with five teams. He was a member of the 2002 world champion Angels and finished in the top five of the Cy Young Award voting three times.
