Background
After his parents divorced when he was 13, young Pedro Borbón left home at 14 and settled in New York City with two of his mother"s brothers.
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Pedro Borbon
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He played for nine seasons (1992–2003) for five teams, including four seasons for the Atlanta Braves, and three seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays. Borbón was mainly a relief pitcher. Borbón"s father, Pedro Borbón was also a pitcher, playing for the Cincinnati Reds and three other teams from 1969 to 1980, winning the World Series twice with the Cincinnati Reds.
In the spring of his freshman year at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, Borbón cut class, heading for the lunch room.
He was stopped by a security guard, who asked to see his student Idaho. The guard did a double-take when he saw the name. "Are you related to Pedro Borbón, the pitcher?" he asked.
The guard also happened to be a baseball coach at the school. He asked Borbón if he played baseball and refused to take "no" for an answer.
He took Borbón outside and had him throw 20 pitches.
By Borbón"s recollection, 18 were strikes. He worked as a messenger after school to pay his third of the rent. He had no contact with his father between the ages of 13 and 20.
Pedro pitched one important inning in the 1995 World Series.
The Braves were leading two games to one over the Cleveland Indians, and were leading the fourth game going into the ninth inning. However, Braves" closer Mark Wohlers was shaky after having pitched two and two-thirds innings the previous day.
Wohlers allowed the Indians to score a run and put a runner on second in that ninth inning without recording any outs. Borbón then came in to relieve Wohlers, and promptly struck out Jim Thome and Sandy Alomar, Junior. while getting Kenny Lofton to fly out to right.
Borbón is right-handed but taught himself to throw left-handed to increase his marketability as a pitcher.
Borbón was one of three Atlanta Braves to appear on Saturday Night Live when he made a cameo appearance alongside teammates Gerald Williams and Mark Wohlers on the December 19, 1997, episode hosted by Helen Hunt.
