Left-hander Luis Arroyo came to the major leagues from Puerto Rico in 1955, the same year that countryman and Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente arrived with the Pirates. A pioneer in his own right for Latin American players in the early years of MLB integration, Arroyo made two All-Star teams during his career, including 1961 with the Yankees, when he also led the league in saves and helped them win the World Series.
The first Puerto Rican to play with the Yankees, Arroyo died Wednesday at age 88. His best seasons came in 1960 and '61 in the Bronx. In '61, Arroyo finished sixth in AL MVP voting after posting a 2.19 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 119 innings. He also saved 29 games to lead the league.
Standing 5-foot-8, he coupled a nasty screwball with a powerful competitive drive, and pitched for parts of eight seasons, also with the Cardinals, Pirates and Reds. The Yankees made it a point to acknowledge Arroyo on Twitter:
The Yankees mourn the passing of former reliever Luis Arroyo. pic.twitter.com/4uQpUOvqJY
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) January 14, 2016
Rory Costello wrote an excellent Arroyo bio for SABR, in which he said of Arroyo's 1961 season with the Yankees:
Arroyo was very good at getting batters to hit ground balls -- he gave up just five homers in 119 innings in 1961. Catcher Yogi Berra said, "The screwball works two ways for Luis. For one thing, it's a difficult pitch to hit. And, for another, the hitter seems to be always looking for it, enabling Luis to fool 'em with his fast one or his other curve."
Arroyo concurred: "I keep the hitters guessing and I can usually get my stuff over the plate. There's not much more to pitching than that."
That August, he added more about his belief that he had become a true pitcher, not just a thrower. He said, "I believe I have finally become a big-leaguer... Now I feel I belong. A fellow is not a big leaguer just because he is in the big leagues. He must make contributions and I think I have made these contributions."
Whitey Ford especially appreciated Arroyo’s support. A Sports Illustrated article that July quoted the staff ace: "If I win 25, I’m going to hold out for $100,000 and split it with Luis." Arroyo said he’d settle for 60-40.
When Ford got his 20th victory of the season -- for the first time in his superb career -- and he merrily proclaimed in the clubhouse, "Beer for everybody on me, and make it two for my boy, Luis."
That was the tenth of 13 saves Arroyo picked up for Ford, who indeed went on to win 25 that season. In addition to inviting Arroyo to finish his 1961 Cy Young Award acceptance speech, Whitey kept his word, giving the closer a financial boost.
Many years later, Arroyo recalled, "I must have made six trips [to the States] to do commercials with Whitey and I made around $30,000."
