Jesse Orosco

Jesse Orosco, Hall of Fame Athlete
From Santa Barbara High School to Santa Barbara City College to the World Series is a long run. But distance has never been a problem for Jesse Orosco. Since 1979 when he originally signed with Minnesota he has walked 81 miles – all in a major league baseball uniform. That is 1,072 trips of 400 feet from the bullpen to the pitching rubber.

Jesse has recently broken one of the most significant records in baseball, appearances by a pitcher. Tied with Dennis Eckersley, Orosco took the mound against – ironically – Minnesota and after the first pitch was the latest baseball record-holder; he had pitched in his 1 ,072nd major league baseball game.

Even though that is a great record, it is not the truest measure of Jesse’s career. His lifetime ERA of2.97 is especially notable since he is now pitching in what has become another record: pitching in four decades. After starring at SBHS and SBCC, he has achieved the honor that all major leaguers strive for- playing in the World Series.

Can you remember exactly where you were and how you felt when Jesse Orosco, after recording three wins in the NL Championship Series, dropped to his knees on the mound after pitching the final out against Boston for the 1986 World Series win? We know that SBHS coach Fred Warrecker and SBCC coach Rusty Fairly do. Twenty-one years, two World Series rings (he played for the Dodgers in ’88,) four decades, two All-Star appearances, and 1,072 games spells “Career.”

One of the career records that fans probably have never heard of is the fact that Jesse always buys and distributes hundreds of tickets for children from broken homes. While Ray Orosco never lived to see his son Jesse close out the Red Sox, he did see him play major league baseball, something he knew would happen.

Jesse’s mother lives in Carpinteria. Jesse is married to Leticia and brags about his three children. He’s an avid golfer and is playing baseball at 43. Boy, are we proud to have you in the Hall of Fame, Jesse.