The Pittsburgh Pirates today claimed right-handed pitcher Wirfin Obispo off waivers from the Atlanta Braves. Obispo will be optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. The announcement was made by Pirates Senior Vice President, General Manager Neal Huntington.
Obispo went 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA (19 1/3 IN/10 ER), 12 walks and 21 strikeouts in 19 relief appearances this year with Triple-A Gwinnett. He began the year by not allowing a run in each of his first seven appearances (8 2/3 IN).
The 29-year-old Obispo led all International League pitchers with 54 appearances last season while going 2-4 with nine saves and a 3.53 ERA (63 2/3 IN/25 ER). He also held International League hitters to a .204 batting average against (46-for-226), including a .188 average (15-for-80) vs. left-handed hitters.
Obispo also spent four years playing overseas in the Japanese League (JPCL) where he went 8-4 with a 4.13 ERA in 109 IN while striking out 71 and walking 33.
Information provided by the Pittsburgh Pirates PR dept.
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(Photo Credit: Karl Moore / Gwinnett Braves)
