Pirates sign pitcher Henderson Alvarez, who once threw a no-hitter, to minor league deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates are so desperate for pitching they signed one out of an independent league.
This one has a major league resume that includes a no-hitter and an All-Star selection.
The Pirates signed Henderson Alvarez to a minor league contract Sunday, adding the 30-year-old right-hander to their 60-man roster and sending him to their alternate training site in Altoona.
Alvarez provides potential depth to a starting rotation that lost Jameson Taillon and Chris Archer to season-ending surgeries and a third starter, Mitch Keller, to an oblique strain and has used Steven Brault and Chad Kuhl as piggyback partners. The Pirates’ bullpen also has had a handful of players go on the injured list this season.
First pitch tonight from Henderson Alvarez. pic.twitter.com/OD4W0DblzO
— Kyle Lesniewski (@Kyle_Lesniewski) August 6, 2020
Alvarez has a a 27-35 record and 3.82 ERA in six seasons with Toronto, Miami and Philadelphia. He last pitched in the majors in 2017 but also signed minor league deals with Oakland and Washington. Alvarez threw a no-hitter on 99 pitches in a 1-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 29, 2013, striking out four and walking one. Alvarez was a reserve on the National League All-Star team in 2014, when he was 6-4 with a 2.63 ERA in 19 starts in the first half and finished 12-7 with a 2.65 ERA in 187 innings.
"#Henderson #Alvarez threw a 53 MPH Eephus for a strike against Nick Markasis" #baseball #mlb #sports pic.twitter.com/L2h6sMte8k
— RussellHodson2 (@RussellHodson2) April 16, 2017
Alvarez was pitching for the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. He pitched four innings Wednesday in a 5-2 win over the Sioux Falls Canaries, allowing one earned run on two hits and striking out two while throwing in the high 90s.
"#Beautiful Shot of #Henderson #Alvarez Fastball Just Getting The Corner" #baseball #mlb #sports pic.twitter.com/XNlDlUXNvF
— RussellHodson2 (@RussellHodson2) January 31, 2017
“I kept my velocity, thank God. I have good velocity,” Alvarez told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’ve shown I can pitch in the major leagues.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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