Tony Armas
Antonio Rafael Armas Machado (born July 2, 1953) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball. He is the father of pitcher Tony Armas, Jr. and the older brother of outfielder Marcos Armas.
Armas Sr. was one of the top sluggers in the American League in the early 1980s. Twice he led the American League in home runs, and topped all of Major League Baseball in runs batted in during the 1984 season. He was, however, prone to injuries that affected his career. In his major league career, Armas went to the disabled list twelve times, missing 302 games.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Armas debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates' Gulf Coast League affiliate in 1971 just shy of his eighteenth birthday. He spent six seasons in their farm system, batting .270 with 69 home runs when he received a September call-up in 1976. He appeared in four games for the Pirates, and collected two hits in six at-bats.
During Spring training 1977, Armas, Doug Bair, Dave Giusti, Rick Langford, Doc Medich and Mitchell Page were dealt to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Chris Batton, Phil Garner and Tommy Helms.
Tony Armas, Jr.
Antonio José Armas (born April 29, 1978), better known as Tony Armas, Jr., is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He last appeared in a Major League game in 2008. He spent most of his active career with the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals.
Professional career
New York Yankees
He was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1994.
Boston Red Sox
Armas and a player to be named later (Jim Mecir), were traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1997 for Mike Stanley and Randy Brown.
Montréal Expos/Washington Nationals
He was sent to the Montréal Expos in 1997 along with pitcher Carl Pavano to complete the deal for Pedro Martínez.
Various injuries held him back until 2003, when he was the team's Opening Day starter, shutting down the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, 10–2. But the strong start turned into a breakdown weeks later, after he was diagnosed with injuries in his arm and shoulder which required season-ending surgery. At that time, Armas was off to a fine start with a record of 2–1, 23 strikeouts and a 2.61 ERA, while allowing barely more than a baserunner per inning (1.065) and not allowing a home run until his fifth and last start.
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