By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Copyright newsweek
Former San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Eduardo Acosta took an unusual route to Major League Baseball.Born in Boquete, a small mountain town on the western edge of Panama in 1944, Acosta told the Philadelphia Daily News years later that he did not so much as wear a baseball glove until he was 21 years old. Although his major league career was brief, Acosta’s baseball journey was one of the most unique in the sport’s history.More news: Former Rangers, Indians Outfielder Passes AwayAcosta died Thursday, according to Panamanian journalist Aurelio Ortiz, citing Acosta’s nephew Ronald. Ed Acosta was 81.In parts of three seasons (1970-72), Acosta went 6-9 with a 4.05 ERA in 57 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. He also spent time in the Houston Astros’ minor league system, and spent time in the Mexican Summer League before retiring as a player.Acosta told the Daily News that Boquete was not a baseball town. His career sprouted from a little white lie and a big black eye.”My father told me not to play the game,” Acosta said. “He said I’d get hurt. So the first time I went to bat I got hit in the face with a pitch and came away with a black eye. When I got home I told my father I had been stung by a bee.”More news: Former Phillies, Orioles, Cardinals Catcher Passes AwayOriginally discovered by a Pirates scout in 1965, it was not until two years later that the Houston Astros gave Acosta his first shot at pro ball in the Class-A Florida State League.But after two minor league seasons, Acosta quit baseball altogether and took a year off working in Canada.More news: Original Astros Pitcher Passes AwayAcosta found his way back into baseball with the Pirates. Standing 6-foot-5, his tall frame gave him an advantage over his peers. He raced up three rungs of the minor league ladder to pitch three games out of the Pittsburgh bullpen in 1970. He allowed four runs across 2.2 innings (13.50 ERA), and was credited with one save.The Pirates had a strong starting rotation with no room for a rookie in 1971. Acosta was leading the Triple-A International League in ERA for the Charleston (W.V.) Charlies, the Pirates’ top farm team, when he joined the Padres via trade on Aug. 20, 1971.More news: Original Mets Outfielder, Former Cubs Manager, Dies at 94The Padres traded relief pitcher Bob Miller to the Pirates for Acosta and minor league outfielder John Jeter.While Pittsburgh went on to win the World Series in October, Acosta’s career got a fresh start in a new city. The Padres promoted Acosta to the majors and immediately gave him his first big league start. He delivered, tossing a complete game shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies for his first victory.More news: Former Yankees, Cubs Outfielder Passes AwayAcosta tossed two more complete games before the season ended, finishing 3-3 with an excellent 2.74 ERA in eight games.Despite the strong debut, Acosta was ticketed for the Padres’ bullpen to begin the 1972 campaign. He went 3-6 with a 4.45 ERA in 46 games (two starts), and did not record a save. What amounted to Acosta’s first full season in the majors also proved to be his last.More news: Former Cubs Outfielder Passes AwayAcosta spent the entire 1973 and 1974 seasons with the Hawaii Islanders, the Padres’ top minor league affiliate in the Pacific Coast League. After two seasons in the Mexican League, Acosta retired from baseball as a player and returned to private life.According to Ortiz, Acosta was living in his native state of Chiriqui at the time of his death.For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
