Washington Nationals: Yunesky Maya, ‘The Warrior’ of Pinar del Río
By Yusseff Diaz
Washington Nationals: Yunesky Maya, ‘The Warrior’ of Pinar del Río
Reaching the Majors
Yunesky Maya was suspended in the summer of 2009 by Cuban authorities and successfully fled Cuba in September of 2009.
The Cuban signed with Washington on July 31, 2010, and made his first Major League start against the Mets.
He won his first MLB game on July 30, 2011, when he hurled 5.1 scoreless innings in a Washington Nationals shutout of the Mets 3-0 in 2011.
He signed a minor league contract with the Braves in 2014 and returned to the league in 2016 with the Angels via a minor league contract in between a stint in the Korean Baseball Organization.
A no-hitter in the Orient
Maya spent two seasons in Korea with the Doosan Bears and on April 9, 2015, the pitcher had a magical evening when he threw a no-hitter for the Bears against the Nexen Heroes in a game in which he threw 136 pitches and struck out eight.
He recounted the last three outs to me when we spoke a few years ago,” What can I tell you there was some much adrenaline pumping through my body I could hardly think straight, yet I felt confident. I had a similar feeling when I took the mound in the first World Baseball Classic. All I could think of was my kids, my mom, and my family.”
In his two years in the KBO, he compiled a record of 4-9.