Ricardo Pinto Records Save After Call Up to Phillies

Ricardo Pinto threw four innings in relief on recorded a save for Philly on Tuesday. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Philadelphia Phillies selected the contract of Venezuelan relief pitcher Ricardo Pinto from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on April 2, before their 9-4 win at home against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night. 

Pinto will make room on the Phillies’ 26-man roster, while right-handed pitcher Connor Brogdon was designated for assignment during this correspondence. 

Prior to tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, the Phillies selected the contract of RHP of Ricardo Pinto from Lehigh Valley (AAA). To make room on the 26-man roster, RHP Connor Brogdon was designated for assignment. Pinto will wear No. 51.

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 2, 2024

Pinto finished the game out of the bullpen on Tuesday night and recorded the save while throwing four innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs, and striking out four while getting Reds second baseman Jonathan India to fly out to Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas for the final out of the game and advancing their record 2-3 to start the 2024 regular season. 

Phillies starting pitcher Spencer Turnbull earned his first win of the season, pitching five innings, allowing three hits, and striking out seven. This allowed manager Rob Thompson to use only two pitchers on Tuesday night. 

Pinto, 30, was born in Guacara, Venezuela, and has played two seasons in Major League Baseball with the Phillies in 2017 and the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019. 

During spring training, Pinto appeared in four games out of the bullpen and posted a 1-0 record with a 3.18 ERA, throwing 5.2 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs, three walks, and three strikeouts. 

The right-handed pitcher played with the Tiburones de La Guaira during the 2023-24 Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional regular season. He made 10 appearances and eight starts, throwing 45 innings, posting a 4.00 ERA with a 1-2 record and one save. He allowed 51 hits, 20 earned runs, two home runs, 16 walks, 33 strikeouts, and a 1.489 WHIP. 

Pinto helped Tiburones de La Guaira win their first Caribbean Series championship in Miami at loanDepot Park. He started the championship game against the 2023-24 LIDOM champion Tigres del Licey and shut their offense down, winning 3-0. In the Caribbean Series, Pinto started two games and posted a 1-0 record with a 0.84 ERA. He pitched 10.2 innings, allowing 10 hits, one earned run, three walks, and 14 strikeouts.  For his efforts, Pinto was named MVP of the 2024 Caribbean Series. 

Last season, Pinto played in his first season in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, starting with the Tecos de los Dos Laredos. He threw 49.2 innings, posting a 2-3 record in 10 starts with a 5.44 ERA. He allowed 54 hits, 30 earned runs, 10 home runs, 14 walks, 41 strikeouts, and a 1.369 WHIP before he was released on June 14, 2023. 

Pinto signed with the Diablos Rojos del México organization on June 19, 2023, and threw 32.1 innings, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.34 ERA in nine appearances and five starts. He allowed 41 hits, 12 earned runs, one home run, seven walks, 18 strikeouts, and a 1.485 WHIP. The Diablos Rojos del Mexico won first place with their record at 55-32 of the Zona del Sur in the 2023 season and lost to the Pericos de Puebla in the second round of the playoffs.

During the 2022 season, Pinto played with the Detroit Tigers organization with Triple-A Toledo, where he made 20 appearances out of the bullpen and pitched 32.2 innings, posting a 3-1 record and a 3.58 ERA. He allowed 34 hits, 13 earned runs, four home runs, 13 walks, 39 strikeouts, and a 1.439 WHIP before being released on July 3, 2022. 

Pinto signed with the Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan on July 28, 2022, and threw 16.1 innings in four appearances and three starts, posting a 6.06 ERA with a 1-2 record. Pinto allowed 24 hits, 11 earned runs, eight walks, nine strikeouts, and a 1.959 WHIP. The Rakuten Monkeys won the CPBL in 2022 with their record at 70-46-4 and were swept by the CTBC Brothers in the Taiwan Series in four games. 

Pinto has played five seasons in Mexico, Taiwan, Venezuela, and in 2020 with the SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization. In his five seasons overseas, Pinto has posted a 17-25 record with a 5.11 ERA, throwing 364.2 innings in 84 appearances and 64 starts, allowing 436 hits, 207 earned runs, 37 home runs, 156 walks, 261 strikeouts, and a 1.623 WHIP. 

In 12 seasons between playing international, the minors, and MLB, Pinto has a lifetime record of 88-66 with a 4.26 ERA in 321 appearances and 189 starts throwing 1,282.1 innings allowing 1,334 hits, 607 earned runs, 139 home runs, 472 walks, 979 strikeouts, and a 1.408 WHIP. 

According to Baseball Savant, Pinto’s sinker sits at 91.1 mph with a 16.7 PutAway percentage, his split-finger reaches 83.5 mph with a 46.2 whiff percentage, and his sweeper breaks at 80.4 mph with a 50 whiff percentage. 

The Phillies have four relief pitchers on the 15-day injured list to start 2024: Luis F. Ortiz, Dylan Covey, Michael Rucker, and Orion Kerkering. 

Thompson will have to evaluate closely how Pinto can see himself in certain situations out of the bullpen during the beginning of the season and the depth that the Phillies are up against with their second series of 2024.