Freddy García

Mark Langston, Mike Campbell, John Halama, Carlos Guillén, Freddy García, Brad Halsey, Dioner Navarro, Javier Vázquez, Alberto González, Steven Jackson, Ross Ohlendorf, Luis Vizcaíno. These dozen men were traded, in different transactions, for Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. While they share a bond, their major-league careers took different paths. Several would play in the World Series; some in All-Star Games; a few in the Caribbean Series; and others in the World Baseball Classic. Only one – García – would win a game in all four competitions, a feat unmatched as of 2024 by any other player in baseball history.

García was born on October 6, 1976, in Caracas, Venezuela. The year produced four other big- leaguers: Kelvim Escobar, Ramón Hernández, Alex Prieto, and Liu Rodríguez, a bumper crop of talent for the South American nation. Up north, the Cincinnati Reds would win their second consecutive World Series, sweeping the Yankees in their first postseason of the George Steinbrenner era. Fidel Castro’s Cuba had been shut down as a baseball factory; Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic had taken its place. Farther south, agents Peter and Edward Greenberg saw an opening in Venezuela and focused their attention there; at one point, 80 percent of their clients were from the country.1

Two days after turning 17, Freddy signed with the Houston Astros. Unlike many of his peers, García began his professional career not back home, but rather in the United States. The Astros assigned him to the Gulf Coast League; he appeared in 11 games and showcased a 6-3 record with a 4.47 ERA. The team featured seven would-be major leaguers, with García and his countryman Guillén the only ones of consequence. The tandem spent the winter with the Navegantes of Magallanes, for whom García appeared in five games; his statistics were far from inspiring: He allowed 21 baserunners in 13 2/3 innings.

The Class-A Midwest League was García’s home in 1996. Quad Cities won its division, with García providing a sparkling 3.12 ERA in 60 2/3 innings, almost a full run better than the 3.94 league average. At 19, he was more than two years younger than his adversaries, but he handled the pressure quite well; however, his winter experience was not quite as successful; he pitched in only three games, all in relief, allowing six baserunners in 2 2/3 frames.

Houston was inspired by his prior success and sent García to the Florida State League’s Kissimmee club in the spring of 1997. The Cobras won their division and led the league in ERA; Freddy and future big-leaguer Wade Miller provided a formidable one-two punch with a 20-10 combined record. Perhaps concerned with his youth, the Astros kept him at high A rather than promote him to the more advanced circuits. He tasted his first real success with Magallanes, pitching in 17 games (five starts) and allowing 3.20 runs per game. His control was spotty; he walked 19 while fanning 25. Garcia’s “true outcome” (strikeouts, walks, and home runs allowed) performance robbed fielders of two out of three chances, raising his pitch count and prompting questions of his focus.

In 1998 García hurled 133 2/3 innings for the Texas League’s Jackson team and the Pacific Coast League’s New Orleans franchise, striking out almost a batter per inning, but his potential was pitted against Houston’s “win-now” mindset. In the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Mariners were a franchise at a crossroads. From their inception in 1977 until 1994, they had enjoyed only two winning seasons. The 1987 draft brought reason for joy as Seattle chose Ken Griffey Jr. with the first pick; “The Kid,” as he would be known, was a blue-chipper; a true “can’t-miss prospect,” and as of 2024, one of only four top selections enshrined in Cooperstown (Harold Baines, Joe Mauer, and Chipper Jones being the others). In 1995 the Mariners overcame a 13-game deficit on August 2 to tie, and then defeat, the California Angels in a one-game tiebreaker for their first Western Division crown. A young core of Griffey and Alex Rodríguez joined veterans Edgar Martínez and Randy Johnson for another two winning seasons before Johnson demanded a trade in the summer of 1998. Seattle had gambled by looking at the cards on its hand – a two-time MVP in Griffey, a two-time batting champion in Martínez, and the third youngest batting champion in history (Rodríguez), two rubber-armed, inning-eating left-handed veterans – Jamie Moyer and Jeff Fassero – and traded Johnson for three rookies (Guillén, García, and Halama).

The Big Unit was an absolute beast for Houston, winning 10 out of 11 decisions down the stretch as the team crossed the century-win mark for the first time. The fairy tale ended against eventual NL champion San Diego, and Johnson bolted for Arizona in the offseason. García, on the other hand, won three games for Tacoma and earned a spot in the Seattle 1999 rotation. He sought more winter work and appeared in 15 games for the Navegantes but again struggled to keep the opposition off the bases, highlighted by a 1.641 WHIP.

Seattle’s future seemed bright, with a brand-new ballpark, Safeco Field (later renamed T-Mobile Park) replacing the monstrous granite monolith known as the Kingdome. Baseball America anointed García as the 61st best prospect entering the 1999 season.2 Manager Lou Piniella entrusted García as the third starter; all García did in return was lead the team in wins (17) and strikeouts (170) and finish second in Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in Cy Young Award balloting. He debuted at home on April 7 against the White Sox in front of 21,050 fans eager to see the centerpiece of the Johnson trade. García did not disappoint; pitching 5 2/3 innings, he scattered seven hits, walked two, struck out five, balked once, and allowed two runs, making for a nice assortment of outcomes from his 94 pitches. He struck out his first batter, Ray Durham, but was harmed by his countryman Magglio Ordóñez’s double to score Frank Thomas in the first. The Mariners provided Garcia with five runs and García earned the win, pitching a perfect fifth inning and getting two outs in the sixth before being replaced by José Paniagua to the cheers of the Seattle faithful.

On August 7 García earned a hard lesson as the defending (and eventually repeating) Yankees visited Safeco. Although García hurled a complete game, struck out 10, and allowed only three hits, he was bested by Andy Pettitte, Mike Stanton, and Mariano Rivera, none of whose 11 baserunners crossed the plate. Scott Brosius’s sacrifice fly to score former Mariner Tino Martínez was the difference in a 1-0 beauty. Although the team dipped to a 79-83 record, optimism was in the air.

García’s April 2000 record (2-1) belied some ugly figures. He gave the team 18 innings but was hit hard; 14 runs were charged to his totals. On April 21 he injured his knee while covering first base and landed on the disabled list; he was far from alone, as the snake-bitten Mariners had previously lost Moyer and Martínez. John Mabry and Mike Cameron would also miss time.3 After 17 strong rehabilitation frames, García returned to Seattle on July 7, delivering six innings in a 3-2 loss to the Dodgers. He was both durable and valuable the rest of the way, ending 9-5 for the 91-71 club. García opened the first game in the Division Series but the White Sox hammered him for four runs on six hits and three walks. In the type of irony only baseball can sometimes provide, the last batter he faced was Durham, whom he had struck out in his first start. The Mariners, however, won both the game and the series in a 3-0 sweep.

The Yankees had been dominated by García’s stuff the prior summer; he was nothing short of spectacular in the Championship Series. In the series opener, he struck out eight and scattered two walks and three hits in 6 2/3 innings. His teammates crossed the plate twice, giving him the needed support, as the Mariners took a one games to none lead. The Yankees won the next three games, putting the Mariners on the brink of elimination, but García was once again on the mound on Game Five in Seattle. Pitching five innings, he allowed two runs and seven hits, leaving the game with a 6-2 lead his mates would not relinquish. The Yankees closed the Series two days later, but the baseball world would take notice of Seattle’s new ace.

Despite the disappointment of the prior October, the Mariners began 2001 on a roll. The team had lost Rodríguez to free agency but landed Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki, who like Madonna, Prince, or Liberace would soon become famous enough to go by one name and win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Awards. The club roared to a modern record 116 wins, with García contributing a career-high 18 wins, 238 2/3 innings, and a 3.05 ERA. He finished third in the Cy Young Award voting, and joined teammates Suzuki, Bret Boone, John Olerud, Martínez, Cameron, and Kazuhiro Sasaki in front of the hometown fans for the All-Star Game. Throwing only seven pitches, García retired Chipper Jones, Jeff Kent, and Rich Aurilia in the third inning. The junior circuit scored in the bottom half, giving him the win while Sasaki earned the save in the ninth.

The juggernaut faced the dangerous Indians in the 2001 League Championship Series and García was given the ball in the first contest. Although he struck out eight, he allowed four runs on a string of seven well-placed singles, two doubles, and two walks. His mound opponent, Bartolo Colón, scattered eight baserunners across eight innings, baffling the Mariners with 10 punchouts. The duo had a rematch in Game Four with reversed roles; although both went six-plus innings, it was García who earned the win by allowing one earned run (an additional one unearned) on four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Seattle went on to win Game Five and earn a rematch against New York.

Three runs separated the two franchises but ultimately the Yankees prevailed, four games to one. García was a hard-luck loser in Game Two; the second inning was his downfall, as a Brosius double scored Tino Martínez and Jorge Posada; Brosius himself would score later on Chuck Knoblauch’s single. The Mariners answered with a pair in the fourth but that was all the scoring the game would see.

In 2002 Oakland and New York won 103 games, Anaheim 99. The Mariners won 93 and stayed home during the postseason. A regression from the mean was to be expected, and García was not an exception. He won 16 games, but his ERA grew to 4.39 though he recorded 181 strikeouts; his record through June (11-5) earned him another All-Star nod. While he did not pick up the win, no one else did either; the 73rd midsummer classic ended as a 7-7 tie when both teams ran out of pitchers. García retired the side in the bottom of the 11th to some boos; he had entered the game in the prior inning and had even picked up an at-bat. Perhaps frazzled from the exercise, he went 5-5 the rest of the year as Seattle was surpassed by both Oakland and Anaheim and missed the postseason.

The next year proved to be disappointing as the Mariners again finished 93-69 but failed to reach the playoffs. García experienced his first losing record in the major leagues, winning 12 games but losing 14. His ERA increased to 4.51 and his control was spotty; he hit 11 batters, unleashed 11 wild pitches, and walked 71. The Mariners were inconsistent in their run support; while they averaged 4.41 runs during his starts, they scored two or fewer in 15 of his games while crossing double-digits in five others. Nevertheless, Garcia’s ERA was north of 5.00 for most of the season before he closed September with 27 strong innings (3 runs, 15 hits, 20 strikeouts).

García’s hard luck continued in 2004 as he started 15 games for the Mariners. Despite a 3.20 ERA over 107 innings, he was 4-7 before Seattle traded him to the White Sox. He and batterymate Ben Davis went to Chicago for prospects Mike Morse and Jeremy Reed and catcher Miguel Olivo. Although Garcia allowed more runs with the White Sox, he increased his strikeout performance and went 9-4 the rest of the way, for a combined 13-11 season, his fourth consecutive double-digit-win campaign. Chicago was in its first year with Ozzie Guillén as manager and García felt comfortable with his countryman at the helm. The relationship was beneficial in 2005, when the White Sox broke their 88-year drought atop the baseball world, winning the World Series with a dominating 99 regular-season wins and a 13-1 romp over their October rivals.

García pitched to a 3.87 ERA in 33 starts, picking up 14 victories along the way. The team had solid pitching, with Mark Buehrle, García, Jon Garland, and José Contreras all surpassing 200 innings and 30 starts. Given the team’s dominance, García pitched in only one game in each of the postseason series but grew stronger as the leaves fell. He provided five acceptable innings against Boston (three runs), a complete game against the Angels (two runs), and then a masterful seven frames against the Astros (seven strikeouts, four hits, three walks) in the World Series clincher, winning all three games for a storybook October.

If García was on cloud nine after winning a ring, he soon leapt to a 10th one. After years of discussion, a multinational competition modeled after the soccer World Cup was finally a reality. The World Baseball Classic occupied the attention of the sport’s fans everywhere, and Venezuela was no exception. Twenty-five of the team’s 30 members were current major leaguers; All-Stars were at every position.4 Placed in Pool D, the country dropped its first game against the powerhouse Dominican Republic, 11-5. As Italy had blanked Australia 10-0, the second contest became a must-win, and manager Luis Sojo called upon García. The pitcher dominated the Europeans (and American-born players representing “the old country” like Mike Piazza and Frank Menechino), allowing one walk and one hit while striking out seven in 3 1/3 innings. Under WBC rules, strict pitch counts were in effect, so García picked up the win despite throwing only 61 pitches.5 Venezuela advanced to the second round with a 2-0 victory over Australia but found itself in a proverbial “group of death” with the Dominicans, the Cubans, and the Puerto Ricans. Once again Venezuela dropped the first game, 7-2 against Cuba, but rebounded with a 6-0 win over host Puerto Rico. García took the mound for the series finale, a loser-goes-home affair against the Dominican Republic. Thousands of fans from both sides were present at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium and they witnessed a beauty as the teams were tied, 1-1, after six innings. The starters, Daniel Cabrera and García, were both lifted after four innings. García had allowed one run in the first frame before the Venezuelans tied it. Kelvim Escobar provided a solid three innings but was charged with a loss as Alberto Castillo scored an unearned run.6

The 2006 edition of the White Sox dropped to third place in its division with a solid yet unspectacular 90-72 record. The Twins and Tigers won 96 and 95, respectively, with the latter winning the pennant. García delivered another strong season, leading the team in innings pitched (216 1/3) en route to 17 wins and a 4.53 ERA. Controversy surrounded him in early May, as the Venezuelan newspaper Líder reported that he had tested positive for marijuana during the WBC.7 While this merited a two-year ban from the International Baseball Federation, it had no effect on his major-league status and no action was taken. García did not miss a single start, winning his last four, with a masterful performance on September 13. Facing the Angels on the road, he took a perfect game into the eighth inning before allowing a single to Adam Kennedy on his 100th pitch. García did not second-guess himself: “I threw the right pitch,” he said, noting that his 8-1 career mark at Angel Stadium gave him confidence.8 Although he was not as dominant six days later – this time he allowed two walks alongside one hit – his pristine eight innings helped the White Sox defeat the Tigers and pull his club within 4½ games of the wild-card spot; it was the closest they would get before finishing five games off Detroit’s pace.

On December 6, 2006, the White Sox surprised their fans by trading García to the Phillies for Gavin Floyd and Gio González. Philadelphia was a team on the rise, with a trio of All-Stars in the infield (Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jimmy Rollins). The team needed pitching, as the rotation was slated to feature now 44-year-old Moyer and hot 23-year-old prospect Cole Hamels. García had earned a reputation as a big-game pitcher during his stay in Chicago to go along with his durability. He had thrown six consecutive 200-inning seasons, each with 30 starts. Though he would enter the season as a 30-year-old with over 1,600 professional innings pitched, the Phillies allegedly relied on Chicago’s medical staff reports.9 They paid dearly for their oversight, as García suffered through a miserable, injury-riddled campaign, starting 11 games and posting an unsightly 5.90 ERA. Though he attempted to play through his ailments, he eventually capitulated and visited pitching savior Dr. James Andrews to repair his labrum.10 Philadelphia had surrendered two prospects and $10 million for exactly one win.

Since García was set to enter the free-agent market, his arm troubles undoubtedly cost him a fortune. Rehabilitating for most of 2008, he signed a short-term deal with Detroit that showed initial promise: His first game in almost a year yielded five solid innings, facing 18 batters, yielding one run on two hits, striking out three while issuing one walk. Six days later he was rocked by Kansas City, allowing five runs in five innings. A last start against the White Sox was inconclusive; he did not figure in the decision despite hurling five more frames of two-run ball. His season line was 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA on the strength of 206 pitches, and the Tigers declined to bring him back. García sought extra work back home in the 2008-2009 campaign, throwing seven ineffective innings (4 runs, 10 baserunners) for Magallanes.

The New York Mets signed García in early 2009 but released him before the end of April after a disappointing stint with their Triple-A affiliate Buffalo (11 innings, 10 runs). He was at a crossroads but a familiar location would soon beckon him to return. Chicago reached out to García and both sides agreed to a deal. He went back to basics and spent time with Bristol of the Appalachian League, Kannapolis of the South Atlantic League, and Charlotte of the International League before the White Sox recalled him. He appeared in nine games down the stretch, averaging roughly six innings per contest with a respectable 4.34 ERA.

Named the fourth starter, García entered 2010 with certainty for the first time in a few years. He gave the team a solid 157 innings, good for a 12-6 record on a 4.64 ERA. He surpassed 100 pitches five times, including an August 27 matchup against the Yankees (seven innings, one earned run). Little did he know it was far from just a late-season game but rather an unexpected audition. Though the Yankees won 95 games and earned the wild card, their pitching was suspect in the LCS vs. the Texas Rangers. Eager to return to the World Series, the team inked García to a one-year, incentive-laden deal and he proved to be a wise investment for 2011, contributing 12 wins and a 3.62 ERA in 26 games. He was handed the ball in the Division Series, an odd five-game affair that the Yankees dominated batting- and pitchingwise but lost, as Detroit won the close games and New York won the blowouts. García gave up three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings but Max Scherzer dominated the Yankees bats to win the second game of the series. This was a different version of García; on the wrong side of 30, he relied on his other pitches rather than attempt to overpower everyone with his fastball. In a 2011 interview, he cited a “new attitude; you have to, ’cause that’s your job and you gotta get people out.”11 Earlier in his career, Moyer had prompted him to “take it easy, breathe … you got the stuff” but the bravado of youth (and a strong fastball) had carried him to success.12 Guile and experience now accompanied García on the mound.

The Yankees brass eagerly brought García back in 2012, but the magic was gone. He pitched his way out of the rotation with a 12.51 April ERA. His next 10 games as a reliever were the opposite; a sparkling 1.56 ERA in 17 1/3 innings, but injuries to New York starters returned him to the rotation and he opened 13 games with a 4.67 ERA before wrapping up the year in the bullpen. His emotional apex was a July 24 contest against the Mariners; he shared the mound with the young fireballer Félix Hernández, who wore uniform number 34 in honor of García. In an episode pitting the ghosts of Christmas past and Christmas present, the all-time Venezuelan wins leader (García) was bested by the heir apparent (Hernández) in a 4-2 affair.

As 2013 began, García was looking for employment. A few clubs inquired about his services, and the Padres signed him on January 28. He was released at the end of spring training, but quickly found a suitor in Baltimore. He was ineffective as the Orioles’ fifth starter, starting 10 games and allowing 34 earned runs in 53 innings. Atlanta purchased his contract for the stretch run, and his second foray into the National League was much more successful than his first; García allowed five runs in 27 1/3 innings for the Braves, helping them to the division title. He was pitted against Clayton Kershaw in the last game of the LDS, with both pitchers throwing six frames of two-run ball. The Dodgers bullpen proved to be stronger, and Los Angeles won the series.

García still had a lot of baseball left in him. In 2014 He joined the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, inking with the EDA Rhinos, following in the footsteps of Manny Ramírez, who had played in 49 contests the prior year.13 The siren song of his homeland proved irresistible, and he suited for the Tigres of Aragua in the 2014-2015 season, his first appearance in six years. He was on the mound for 27 innings (regular and postseason), allowing eight runs en route to a 2-1 mark.14

After a few weeks of rest and eager to prove his value, García signed with the Mexican Baseball League’s Olmecas of Tabasco for the 2015 season, catching the eye of the Dodgers brass, who offered him a contract with its Triple-A affiliate. He performed poorly and returned to Tabasco before turning his season around with the Sultanes of Monterrey. Overall in Triple A he threw 76 1/3 frames with a 4.38 ERA with an impressive 51/11 strikeout/walk split. Perhaps suffering from fatigue, he struggled with Aragua in eight starts, yielding a 5.17 ERA in the regular season. All was forgotten, though, as the Tigres won the Venezuelan title with García starting one game in the playoffs, giving him the opportunity to perform on a grand stage: the 2016 Caribbean Series.

Former major leaguer Eddie Pérez led the Venezuelan team and put great responsibility on the right-hander’s broad shoulders: “Freddy is our guy. To me, he’s the right guy at the right time. Freddy has pitched in situations bigger than this, better and in worse.”15 The Dominican Republic hosted and dedicated the event to Hall of Famer Juan Marichal. García announced his retirement at the conclusion of the series; he started game one against Puerto Rico’s Cangrejeros of Santurce and pitched six innings while allowing only one run to earn a tough victory.16 Aragua met Mexico’s representatives, the Venados of Mazatlán, in the tournament final but lost a heartbreaker when Jorge Vázquez homered to break a 4-4 tie in the ninth inning. García was named to the all-tournament team for his performance, the eldest statesman of the group.

In 2016 Monterrey requested his return, and García appeared in five games. Although his control was impeccable (7/1 K/BB ratio), he was hit hard with a 5.01 ERA. Nevertheless, he won two games as the club was an offensive juggernaut with a league-leading .464 slugging percentage en route to a 72-39 record and the northern division title. He sat out the winter but made a triumphant return to Aragua in November for 2017. At the ripe age of 41, he announced his intention to retire at season’s end and, against all odds, enjoyed his best Venezuelan season. Winning four games with an 11-1 K/BB ratio for Aragua, he earned the Comeback Player of the Year Award.17 Earlier in the season, the All-Star game was dedicated to him; Edgar Navega, president of the Unique Association of Venezuelan Professional Baseball Players (Asociación Única de Peloteros Profesionales de Venezuela), announced the honor by stating, “Freddy García has been a pitcher who has gifted many great moments to both baseball and Venezuela; for a long time he was the pitcher with most major-league wins.”18

The Tigres made the postseason but bowed out during the round-robin; the eventual champion Caribes of Anzoategui picked him up as a reinforcement for the finals and García contributed 8 2/3 innings in two starts. The triumph afforded García another shot at the Caribbean Series title; the bitter taste of the 2016 defeat still stung: “[I]t would be wonderful. … You know, I tried doing it two years back and we lost in the last inning against México. In short series like these, a team can go on a streak. … A lot of things can happen.”19 The event was bittersweet as its original location, Venezuela, was changed to México due to the unrest in Venezuela. García started game two against the Águilas Cibeañas but struggled early, allowing three runs in 4 2/3 innings. He left with the lead and his teammates put on an offensive show, crossing the plate 15 times.

As the seasons changed, Yucatán was impressed and persuaded García to sign with the Leones. Starting five games, he went 2-2. His 5.32 ERA looks lofty, but the league is offense-oriented; the average mark was 5.06 during the 2018 campaign. He followed up his performance with 14 2/3 innings in the 2018-2019 Venezuelan season, although his start in the finals was rocky (two innings pitched, four runs allowed, six baserunners). Upon his retirement from the major leagues, García was the career leader among Venezuelans in wins (156), games started (357), and innings pitched (2,264), but he has since been surpassed by Felix Hernández in all three categories.

García has earned his place in the nation’s Mount Rushmore of pitchers, alongside Santana (51.08 WAR), Hernández (50.34 WAR), and Carlos Zambrano (38.32 WAR).20 García’s numbers were remarkably consistent: His home ERA, 4.13, was a shade lower than his road mark of 4.18. Batters hit .258 off him during both the first and second halves of his seasons. He was very effective when the bases were loaded, limiting hitters to a .521 OPS and no grand slams. In 181 of his career games – almost half of his tally – hitters were less successful on his 101st and subsequent pitches, with their average dropping to .235. Beyond the success against the Angels, he was dominant in interleague games, going 25-11 with a 2.84 ERA in 43 starts.

With over 3,000 career innings pitched in the major, minor, and winter leagues, García appeared on the 2019 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot but did not garner a single vote, and was dropped from future consideration by the baseball writers.

Last revised: March 1, 2025

Acknowledgments

JJ Montilla, Venezuelan sportswriter, for sharing the Venezuelan Baseball reference site Pelota Binaria, which includes winter league statistics.

Pete Palmer and Jim Wheeler for detailed disabled-list records.

Notes

1 Peter J. Schwartz, “Baseball’s Best Agents,” Forbes, June 22, 2007. https://www.forbes.com/2007/06/20/mlb-greenberg-baseball-biz_cz_ps_0622baseballagents.html#11f2825c19fc.

2 http://www.thebaseballcube.com/prospects/byTeam.asp?T=26&Src=BA.

3 “Mariners Overcome Injuries,” Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2000. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-apr-22-sp-22373-story.html.

4 https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2006_World_Baseball_Classic_(Rosters)#Venezuela.

5 http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2009/stats/boxscore.jsp?gid=2006_03_08_itaint_venint_1.

6 http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2009/stats/boxscore.jsp?gid=2006_03_14_venint_domint_1.

7 “Sox Downplay Garcia Marijuana Report,” Chicago Tribune, May 2, 2006. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2006-05-02-0605020277-story.html, May 2, 2006.

8 Mark Gonzales, “García Flirts with Perfection as White Sox Beat Angels,” Chicago Tribune, September 13, 2006. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-060913soxgamer-story.html.

9 “Freddy García: Damaged Goods?” Seattle Times, June 19, 2007. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/freddy-garcia-damaged-goods/.

10 “Shoulder Surgery Ends 2007 Season for Phillies’ García,” ESPN, August 30, 2007. https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2997866.

11 Steve Serby, “Serby’s Sunday Q&A with … Freddy García,” New York Post, May 15, 2011. https://nypost.com/2011/05/15/serbys-sunday-q-a-with-freddy-garcia/.

12 Serby.

13 Jay Jaffe, “Former All-Star Freddy García to Play Professionally in Taiwan,” SI.com, April 18, 2014. https://www.si.com/mlb/strike-zone/2014/04/18/freddy-garcia-signs-with-team-in-taiwan.

14 http://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve/beisbol/mostrar.php?ID=garcfre001.

15 “Freddy García Reportedly Will Call It a Career After 15 Major League Seasons,” Fox Sports, February 7, 2016. https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/freddy-garcia-retiring-after-15-seasons-in-the-majors-020716.

16 https://www.mlb.com/gameday/puerto-rico-vs-venezuela/2016/02/01/459926#game_state=final,game_tab=box,game=459926.

17 http://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve/beisbol/premios.php.

18 “Juego de las estrellas será en homenaje a Freddy García,” meridiano.com, November 22, 2017. http://www.meridiano.com.ve/beisbol/beisbol-venezolano/168510/juego-de-las-estrellas-sera-en-homenaje-a-freddy-garcia.html.

19 Rubén Castro, “Freddy García vive su última Serie del Caribe con Venezuela,” ESPN Deportes, February 3, 2018. https://espndeportes.espn.com/beisbol/seriedelcaribe2018/nota/_/id/3945916/freddy-garcia-vive-su-ultima-serie-del-caribe-con-venezuela.

20 As of the end of 2020.