The Colombian pitcher, Reiver Sanmartin, had a dream debut in the MLB on Monday with the Cincinnati Reds by dominating the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 5.2-inning performance in which he allowed only one run, allowed five hits and struck out five opponents.
The southpaw, who needed 93 pitches of which 60 were strikes, has a 1.59 ERA in the 2021 season of the Big leagues, after the victory of his team against the Buccaneers by 13-1.
Reiver José Sanmartín was born in the town of María La Baja, near Cartagena, on April 15, 1996. He is part of a family dedicated to carpentry and a baseball fan. However, before making the leap to professional, the Reds player played soccer, playing as a left back, according to an interview published in El Espectador.
On Monday, September 27, Sanmartin became the 28th player to wear a Major League Baseball uniform born in Colombia. However, he will remain the first pitcher from his country to achieve a victory in his MLB debut, according to data from the Elias Sports Bureau.
On July 2, 2015 Sanmartin signed with the Texas Rangers, an organization in which he was until 2017. He was changed on November 20 of that year to the New York Yankees by fellow pitcher Ronald Herrera.
On January 21, 2019, he was sent to the Reds along with pitcher Sonny Gray, second baseman Shed Long Jr., and future considerations. In the minors with Cincinnati that year he was in Class A Strong and later in Double A, a team in which he was until May 26, 2021, when he was promoted to Triple A with the Louisville Bats team.
Sanmartin has a short experience in the winter leagues. In the 2018-19 season, he was part of the Mayagüez Indians pitching staff, leaving 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 14 innings.
In the Professional League of Colombia he played during the 2020-21 season, first with the Tigres de Cartagena and then transferred to the Caimanes de Barranquilla.