Former MLB Pitcher Pascual Perez Killed in Home Invasion

Dominican Republic police report that former MLB pitcher Pascual Perez has been killed in a home invasion robbery.

There were allegedly multiple people who raided Perez's home, and although a cause of death has yet to be determined, the 55-year-old was definitely struck in the head, according to the Associated Press (h/t National Post).

As of now, no suspects have been detained in this tragic case.

Perez was an 11-year MLB veteran who started his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1980. He made the All-Star team in 1983 with the Atlanta Braves, a year in which he won a career-best 15 games. The following season resulted in a 14-8 record, but a subsequent 1-13 campaign forced him out of the big leagues in 1986.

Chris Strauss of USA Today highlights four of the most memorable things about Perez. What made him most widely known on the diamond was "his own version of the Eephus pitch, a slow, extremely high-arching changeup that was renamed 'the Pascual pitch' when he threw it." This often befuddled hitters.

When holding runners in check on the basepaths, Perez was also known to look between his legs to make sure opponents couldn't get a good jump when he was pitching from the stretch. He would even throw the ball between his legs as a pickoff attempt, per Strauss.

Stints with the Montreal Expos and New York Yankees rounded out Perez's career, and in Montreal he made his return to the majors in 1987 with a 7-0 record and a stellar 2.30 ERA in 10 starts.

Perez finished with a 67-68 record in a career ultimately cut short in 1992 for a suspension stemming from cocaine use. He struggled with kidney problems in recent years as well.