Background and career
Esteban Antonio Loaiza Veyna [lo-EYE-sa] (born December 31, 1971) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher and coach. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Loaiza was the American League's (AL) starting pitcher in the 2003 All-Star Game. That year, he led the AL in strikeouts.
A graduate of Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach, California, Loaiza was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an undrafted free agent on March 21, 1991. He made his professional debut that year with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates 1991, finishing with a 5–1 record and a 2.26 earned run average (ERA) in 11 starts. He moved through the Pirates farm system with stops with the Augusta GreenJackets (Single-A – 1992), Salem Buccaneers (Single-A – 1993) and Carolina Mudcats (Double-A – 1993–1994). He also played for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League during the 1993 season.
Loaiza moved to the big league club in 1995, making his major league debut on April 29, 1995 for the Pirates against the Philadelphia Phillies. He worked five innings in the game, giving up five hits and one unearned run to achieve the first major league win of his career. He finished his rookie season with an 8–9 record and a 5.16 ERA in 31 starts. He began the 1996 season back in the minors with the Triple-A Calgary Cannons, but was recalled to the majors on June 7.
The Pirates traded Loaiza to the Texas Rangers on July 17, 1998, in exchange for Todd Van Poppel and Warren Morris. He spent the next two seasons with Texas, pitching both as a starter and a reliever for the Rangers.
The Rangers traded Loaiza to the Toronto Blue Jays for Michael Young and Darwin Cubillán on July 19, 2000. He pitched with the Blue Jays through 2002.
On January 24, 2003, Loaiza signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. He enjoyed a career season in 2003, receiving his first career All-Star selection. He led American League pitchers in strikeouts (207) and finished second in wins (21) and strikeouts per nine innings (8.23); third in ERA (2.90), and sixth in innings pitched (226+1⁄3). Considered for the Cy Young Award, Loaiza finished second behind Roy Halladay, ahead of Pedro Martínez and Tim Hudson. Loaiza's 21 wins in 2003 are tied for the most ever in a season for a Mexican pitcher; Fernando Valenzuela won 21 games in 1986. In 2004, Loaiza was selected to his second All-Star Game as a member of the White Sox.
