Minnesota Twins Rookie Pitcher, Francisco Liriano
was born on October 26, 1983, in San Cristobal,
Dominican Republic. He attended Americo Pere (DR)
high school. Originally starting with the Giants,
Francisco was acquired with Joe Nathan and Boof
Bonser for A.J. Pierzynski in November 2003.
In the minors he led all pitchers in strikeouts
and was only 21 years old when he broke into the big
leagues on September 5, 2005, with the Minnesota Twins.
He later joined the starting rotation and won his first
game on September 30, 2005 against the Detroit Tigers.
Francisco Liriano allowed five hits in seven innings
for his first major league win. "He threw as good
as we were expecting and hoping he'd throw," manager
Ron Gardenhire said. "He was throwing the fastball,
using the fastball, locating the fastball and
working off of that. Once he does that, his slider
and changeup are unbelievable." Francisco tied
a career high with eight strikeouts. With a fastball
that touched 96 mph to complement a biting slider.
Francisco Liriano has high-strikeout
potential and could be a fun rookie to watch in
the Twins bullpen. The Twins have announced that
he is not an option for trading despite the fact
that if he doesn't win a starting rotation spot
out of spring training, he would begin the season
as a starter in the minors.
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