Giovanni Carrara

Giovanni Carrara Jiménez (born March 4, 1968) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher who currently serves as the pitching coach for the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Seattle Mariners, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Seibu Lions.

Playing career

Carrera initially struggled as a starting pitcher in the major leagues but later became an effective long reliever. He had a 90–92 MPH fastball, along with a couple of breaking balls, a deceptive slow curve, and particularly his off-speed pitch; a hard one that was somewhere between a slider and cut fastball. He controlled the running game as well, with a good move to both first base and second, and a quick delivery to the plate.

On August 15, 2001, Carrara combined with fellow Venezuelan pitchers Omar Daal, Kelvim Escobar, and Freddy García to win their respective starts: Carrara, of the Dodgers, facing Montreal, 13–1; Daal, in a Phillies victory over the Brewers, 8–6; Escobar, of the Blue Jays, over Oakland, 5–2, and García, of Seattle, against the Red Sox, 6–2. This marked the first time in major league history that four pitchers coming from Venezuela recorded a winning game in their respective starts on the same day.

On August 26, 2006, Carrara was designated for assignment by the Dodgers. He was called up in September 2006 when rosters expanded and used sparingly after re-joining the big league club. The Dodgers chose not to re-sign Carrara in the offseason.

On May 4, 2007, Carrara was signed by the Caffè Danesi Nettuno of Serie A1 in Italy. In 2008, he was 8–2 with a 2.35 ERA and 49 strikeouts.

Coaching career

Prior to the 2021 season, Carrara was hired to serve as the pitching coach for the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Palm Beach Cardinals. He served in the role through the 2024 season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On December 6, 2024, Carrara was hired to serve as the pitching coach for the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela

External links

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• The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia – Gary Gillette, Peter Gammons, Pete Palmer. Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005. Format: Paperback, 1824pp. Template:ISBN