Ed Figueroa – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Ed Figueroa made his mark in baseball history during his eight-season career, which ran from 1974 to 1981. The Puerto Rican right-hander really became the anchor of the New York Yankees’ pitching staff during their championship run in the late 1970s. He won more games than any other Yankees pitcher from 1976 to 1978. His steady presence on the mound helped the team grab two World Series titles.

Figueroa still stands as the only pitcher from Puerto Rico to win 20 games in a major league season. He pulled off this feat in 1978, going 20-9 for the Yankees. He didn’t have the flashiest stuff, and his pitches weren’t overpowering, but his sinker and slider combo kept hitters guessing. Ron Guidry, his old teammate, once said Figueroa “wasn’t dominant” but always “just won.”

Figueroa’s career ended suddenly in 1981 when elbow problems forced him to retire at just 32. He pitched only two games for the Oakland Athletics that year before stepping away from the game. He left behind 80 career wins and a reputation as one of the most reliable starters of his time. If you trace his journey from a mountain village in Puerto Rico to Yankee Stadium, you’ll find a story about quiet excellence and grit.

Ed Figueroa’s Career Overview

Ed Figueroa spent eight seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1974 to 1981. He put together an 80-67 record with a 3.51 ERA while pitching for four teams. His best years came with the New York Yankees, where he broke ground as the first Puerto Rican pitcher to win 20 games in a season. He helped them win two World Series championships.

MLB Debut and Early Years

Figueroa made his MLB debut on April 9, 1974, with the California Angels at age 25. He came into the game in the eighth inning during a blowout loss to the Texas Rangers and allowed just one hit over two innings.

His path to the majors took longer because of military service. After signing with the New York Mets in 1966, the U.S. Marine Corps drafted him, and he served in Vietnam for a year.

He got out of the service in 1970 and then signed with the San Francisco Giants organization. The Giants traded him to the California Angels on July 6, 1973, for Bruce Christensen and Don Rose.

First Season Performance:

• Record: 2-8
• ERA: 3.67
• Team finish: Last place (94 losses)

Even though he played for a struggling Angels team, Figueroa showed some real promise. His first career decision was a tough 1-0 complete game loss to Cleveland. He bounced back with a 7-0 shutout win over Boston at Fenway Park.

Teams Played For

Figueroa pitched for four organizations during his eight-year MLB run.

California Angels (1974-1975)

• Moved into the starting rotation in 1975
• Put up a 16-13 record with a 2.91 ERA in his second season
• Played for last-place teams both years

New York Yankees (1976-1980)

• Yankees got him and Mickey Rivers for Bobby Bonds on December 11, 1975
• Became the staff ace in 1976, going 19-10 with a 3.02 ERA
• Finished fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting

Texas Rangers (1980)

• Claimed off waivers after things went south with the Yankees
• Posted a rough 0-7 record with a 5.90 ERA that year
• Rangers let him go after a bad spring training in 1981

Oakland Athletics (1981)

• Signed as a free agent under manager Billy Martin
• Made his last MLB appearance on September 27, 1981
• Retired after a brief minor league stint in 1982

Notable Achievements

Figueroa’s biggest achievement? He became the only Puerto Rican pitcher to win 20 games in a regular season. He almost did it in 1976 with 19 wins.

World Series Championships:

• Won two titles with the Yankees (1977, 1978)
• Had a 0-4 record with a 7.47 ERA in seven postseason starts

Career Statistics:

• Win-Loss Record: 80-67
• ERA: 3.51
• Strikeouts: 571
• Innings Pitched: 1,309

His best year came in 1978, when he went 20-9 with a 3.57 ERA. He started 7-7 but then finished 13-2, helping the Yankees erase a 14-game deficit to catch the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Arm injuries started to slow him down in 1979, and he made only 16 starts that season. He made a short comeback in 1989 with the Gold Coast Suns of the Senior Professional Baseball Association but retired for good soon after.

Peak Years with the New York Yankees

When the Yankees traded for Figueroa in December 1975, his career took off. The team won three straight pennants and captured two World Series titles from 1976 to 1978. Figueroa led the team in wins during this run, racking up 51 victories over three seasons.

1976-1978 Highlights

After the trade that sent Bobby Bonds to California, Figueroa proved his value right away. In 1976, his first season in pinstripes, he led the team with 19 wins.

He nearly hit the 20-win mark that year. A stiff elbow cost him some starts in August, and he dropped his final two decisions. A rainout canceled his last scheduled start, so he just missed the milestone.

In 1977, he picked up 16 more victories even though he dealt with injuries. Nerve damage in his right index finger hampered him late in the season.

Figueroa’s best year came in 1978, when he reached his career highlight. He became the first and only Puerto Rican pitcher to win 20 games in a big league season, finishing 20-9.

Across those three years, he posted a 55-31 record. His steady work helped anchor a rotation that also featured Catfish Hunter and, later, Ron Guidry.

World Series Contributions

Figueroa’s postseason numbers never matched his regular season success. He struggled in the American League Championship Series, going 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA in four starts against Kansas City.

His most memorable playoff outing came in Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS. He pitched seven solid innings and left with a 6-3 lead, but the bullpen let Kansas City tie the game.

The Yankees pulled out that game anyway, thanks to Chris Chambliss’s walk-off home run. That win sent New York to their first World Series since 1964.

In the 1976 World Series against Cincinnati, Figueroa started Game 4. He went eight innings but gave up five runs as the Reds finished their sweep.

Manager Billy Martin chose not to start Figueroa in the 1977 World Series. Martin thought Figueroa’s finger injury hadn’t healed, which caused some tension between them.

Retirement in 1981

Ed Figueroa’s baseball career ended abruptly in 1981 at age 32. Arm problems forced him out after just two appearances with the Oakland Athletics. Injuries that had been building over his career cut his final season short.

Final MLB Season

Figueroa’s 1981 season with the Oakland Athletics lasted only two games before he called it quits. He made his final appearance on September 27, 1981, against the Chicago White Sox, pitching at age 32.

In that last outing, he went 4.1 innings, gave up 4 hits and 3 earned runs, and walked 3 batters without recording a strikeout. The performance showed just how much his arm had declined.

The 1981 season was shortened by a strike, but Figueroa’s limited action had nothing to do with the work stoppage. His arm simply wouldn’t let him contribute to the Athletics’ pitching staff.

After eight years in Major League Baseball, Figueroa finished with career totals of 571 strikeouts across four teams: the California Angels, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, and Texas Rangers.

Circumstances Leading to Retirement

Arm problems ended Ed Figueroa’s career early. The right-hander had been dealing with these issues for a while, even before his last season.

At 32, Figueroa was still young for a pitcher, but his body just wouldn’t cooperate anymore. His arm troubles had gotten so bad that he couldn’t pitch effectively.

Figueroa later admitted he missed baseball for a couple of years after leaving. The injuries just sped up his exit from the game he’d played since 1974.

He retired only two years after helping the Yankees win World Series titles in 1977 and 1978. It’s wild how quickly arm problems can end a pitcher’s career.

Career Statistics and Records

Ed Figueroa finished with an 80-67 record and a 3.51 ERA over eight seasons in the majors, from 1974 to 1981. He did his best work with the Yankees, winning 62 games and helping them grab two World Series championships.

Win-Loss Record

Figueroa posted 80 career wins and 67 losses, good for a .544 winning percentage over 200 games. His best season was in 1978, when he went 20-9 for the Yankees.

He won 19 games in his first year with the Yankees in 1976. In 1977, he finished 16-11, playing a big part in New York’s championship run.

Team Breakdown:

• New York Yankees (1976-1980): 62-39 record, .614 winning percentage
• California Angels (1974-1975): 18-21 record, .462 winning percentage
• Texas Rangers (1980): 0-7 record
• Oakland Athletics (1981): 0-0 record

His time with the Yankees marked his peak. Figueroa started 126 games for New York, completed 42, and threw nine shutouts.

ERA and Strikeouts

Figueroa kept his career ERA at 3.51 while striking out 571 batters in 1,309.2 innings. When adjusted for ballpark factors, his earned run average ranked 105th in the league.

His top statistical season with the Angels came in 1975. He posted a 2.91 ERA over 244.2 innings, struck out 139, and finished with a 1.214 WHIP.

Key Statistical Highlights:

• Career strikeout-to-walk ratio: 1.29
• Complete games: 63
• Shutouts: 12
• Innings per start: 7.3

In 1978, he put up a 2.99 ERA and pitched 253 innings. He struck out 92 that year and kept his walks to just 77.

Figueroa’s durability stood out during his prime. From 1975 to 1978, he averaged over 240 innings a season, giving his teams plenty of reliable starts.

Early Life and Path to Professional Baseball

Eduardo Figueroa Padilla was born on October 14, 1948, in Ciales, Puerto Rico. He eventually became the first Puerto Rican pitcher to win 20 games in a big league season.

Figueroa started playing baseball in Puerto Rico and developed his skills in local youth leagues. Those early experiences set the stage for his professional career.

Childhood in Puerto Rico

Ed Figueroa was born in Ciales, a mountain village about 30 miles southwest of San Juan. He was the eldest of seven boys and three girls in the family of Otilio Figueroa and María Padilla.

His family didn’t stay long in Ciales—they moved after just two months.

Eduardo found baseball at age nine, jumping into Little League and picking up the game fast. By 11, he helped his team win the Puerto Rico championship, which really showed he had a knack for baseball.

At 14, Figueroa had developed enough to make a team that traveled to the Babe Ruth World Series in Farmington, New Mexico. That trip was his first real taste of baseball outside Puerto Rico.

After his run in the Babe Ruth League, Figueroa moved up to La Liga Bithorn, named for Hiram Bithorn, Puerto Rico’s first big leaguer. He played for Cidra, a town south of San Juan, and even teamed up with future Chicago Cubs player Jerry Morales.

Minor Leagues and International Play

Figueroa’s amateur career hit its high point in June 1966 when he joined the Puerto Rican national team with Jerry Morales. At just 17, he pitched in the Central American Games, which took place in San Juan. Puerto Rico grabbed a silver medal, finishing behind Cuba.

His international play got professional scouts interested. In July 1966, the New York Mets signed him. Scout Nino Escalera, who covered Latin America for the Mets, brought him on board. Figueroa became one of the club’s first Latin American prospects.

He pitched in four games across Rookie League and Class A in his first pro season in 1966. After that, he went back to Puerto Rico and debuted as a reliever for the Caguas Criollos in the Winter League.

Then, military service interrupted everything. After missing time for a draft physical, the Mets released him, and he served 10 months in the Marines, including two months in Vietnam. That experience delayed his baseball career, but it gave him a different perspective on life.

Life After Baseball

Ed Figueroa switched from pro baseball to running businesses in Puerto Rico. He got involved in his community, especially through baseball activities and mentoring.

Business Ventures

After he retired from baseball in 1981, Figueroa started out in the trucking business. He ran that company for 14 years before deciding to try something new.

In the early 1990s, he sold the trucking business and moved into the restaurant world. The idea came from his Yankees days, when he and teammates like Roy White, Chris Chambliss, Willie Randolph, and Lou Piniella would eat Mexican food on the road.

He opened two Mexican restaurants called Lupis in Puerto Rico. One’s in Old San Juan, and the other is near the San Juan airport. “You have to work a little bit, but it’s a good business,” Figueroa said in a 2008 interview.

The restaurants have become popular spots for baseball folks. Jorge Posada, Ivan Rodriguez, and former teammates Chris Chambliss and Graig Nettles have all dropped by. Baseball scouts looking for talent in Puerto Rico also stop in pretty often.

Community Involvement

Figueroa stayed close to baseball through community roles in Puerto Rico. In 2003, he worked as pitching coach for the Puerto Rican national team, but Cuba knocked them out during regional qualifying for the Athens Olympics.

Locally, people still celebrate his baseball achievements. The Caguas Criollos retired his number 19 in 2003. Figueroa’s the only Puerto Rican pitcher to win 20 games in a major league season, which is a huge deal in Puerto Rican baseball history.

“They still talk about 1978 here,” Figueroa said. “Even though I don’t belong in the Hall of Fame in the U.S., I’m in five or six different Halls of Fame in Puerto Rico.”

He often provides analysis for winter league games on the radio in Puerto Rico. Figueroa also goes to Yankees’ Old-Timers’ Day events, keeping his ties to his old team alive.

Legacy and Impact

Ed Figueroa made his mark as the first Puerto Rican pitcher to win 20 games in a season. His success opened doors for Latin American players and earned him a lasting spot in Puerto Rican baseball culture.

Influence on Puerto Rican Players

Figueroa’s 20-win season in 1978 changed things for Puerto Rican pitchers. He was the first from the island to do it, proving that Latin American players could shine at the top level.

His years with the New York Yankees from 1976-1978 inspired young Puerto Rican players. Figueroa won 55 games in those three years, making him the staff’s biggest winner during their American League championship runs.

His journey from Ciales to Yankee Stadium showed other Puerto Rican athletes that coming from a small mountain village doesn’t limit you. He’s still the only major leaguer from Ciales.

In 2003, he served as pitching coach for Puerto Rico’s national team, showing he wanted to help develop Latin American talent. That role let him pass on his experience to the next generation.

Recognition and Honors

The Caguas Criollos retired Figueroa’s number 19 in 2003, which really cemented his status as a Puerto Rican baseball legend. This honor recognized what he did in the majors and in Puerto Rico’s winter league.

People called him “Señor Stopper” for his clutch pitching in 1975 with the California Angels. He got that nickname after winning 15 games following Angels losses, showing he could stop a losing streak cold.

World Series Championships:

• 1977 New York Yankees
• 1978 New York Yankees

Figueroa’s two World Series rings with the Yankees are the peak of his pro career. Those titles came during his best years, when he anchored the rotation.

He finished with 571 career strikeouts and remains the only Puerto Rican pitcher to notch a 20-win season. That’s a big deal among the 200-plus Puerto Rican players who’ve made it to the majors.

Net Worth and Personal Life

Ed Figueroa built a good life after baseball, running restaurants and other businesses in Puerto Rico. He enjoys a comfortable retirement with his family and stays connected to the baseball community.

Estimated Net Worth

Nobody’s published Figueroa’s exact net worth, but he’s done well for himself. His eight-year MLB career set him up financially, especially those prime years with the Yankees.

After baseball, he branched out. He ran a trucking company for 14 years before selling it, which helped him build wealth through the ’80s and ’90s.

These days, his main income comes from the two Lupis Mexican restaurants. One’s in Old San Juan, the other’s near the airport. “You have to work a little bit, but it’s a good business,” Figueroa said about the restaurants.

The restaurants have been going strong for 16 years, attracting both locals and visiting baseball personalities. Former teammates like Chris Chambliss and Graig Nettles have eaten there, as have Puerto Rican stars Jorge Posada and Ivan Rodriguez.

Family and Personal Interests

Figueroa lives comfortably in Guayanabo, Puerto Rico. He seems to really enjoy these retirement years.

He keeps close ties to his Puerto Rican roots. Around the island, people in the baseball community still treat him like a household name.

His love for Mexican food actually started back when he played for the Yankees. He often went out to eat with teammates like Roy White, Chris Chambliss, Willie Randolph, and Lou Piniella during their road trips.

That shared love for food eventually nudged him into the restaurant business. Funny how things work out sometimes, right?

Figueroa stays involved in baseball in a bunch of ways. He gives analysis on the radio for winter league games in Puerto Rico.

He also shows up at the Yankees’ old-timer’s day events pretty regularly. You can tell he never really left the baseball world.

Baseball scouts drop by his restaurants when they’re hunting for new talent on the island. That keeps him plugged into the current baseball scene.

He’s even talked about wanting to work for the Yankees as a liaison with Spanish-speaking players, or maybe on Spanish-language broadcasts. Seems like he still has a soft spot for the team.

“It was a great place to come to, New York,” Figueroa said, thinking back on his Yankees days. “I was lucky I was in the right place at the right time with the Yankees.”