SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — José DeLeón, a pitcher in the major leagues for 13 seasons and the strikeouts leader in the National League for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1989, has passed away at the age of 63.
The Leones del Escogido, DeLeón’s team in the Dominican Winter League, announced that he passed away on Sunday evening at Cedimat hospital in Santo Domingo. The team mentioned that DeLeón had health concerns without providing additional details.
DeLeón compiled a record of 86 wins and 119 losses with a 3.76 ERA in 264 starts and 151 relief appearances throughout his career. He played for Pittsburgh (1983-86), the Chicago White Sox (1986-87, 1993-95), St. Louis (1988-92), Philadelphia (1992-93), and Montreal (1995). The right-hander recorded 1,594 strikeouts in 1,897 1/3 innings.
In 1989, he led the NL with 201 strikeouts and shared the NL lead with 19 losses in both 1985 and 1990.
Picked by the Pirates in the third round of the 1979 amateur draft, DeLeón entered the major league scene on July 23, 1983, pitching nine strikeouts over eight innings in a 5-2 victory against San Francisco.
Concluding his rookie season, DeLeón achieved a 7-3 record with a 2.83 ERA in 15 starts and secured the seventh position in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. The award was ultimately claimed by Darryl Strawberry of the New York Mets.
In July 1986, DeLeón was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Bobby Bonilla, who went on to earn four consecutive All-Star Game selections with Pittsburgh from 1988 to 1991.
