Esteban Loaiza pitched for 14 years in the Major Leagues and has the second most wins of any pitcher from Mexico in MLB history.
Apparently being a big time MLB pitcher didnt provide Loaiza with the satisfaction or finances he needed to live a crime free life, and now hes facing hard time in the California Penal system after being arrested in San Diego County on Friday for transporting roughly 44 pounds of heroin and cocaine. The exact amount is still being disputed, but theres no denying that he was pushing Tony Montana weight and is facing drug kingpin charges.
Jeff Passan on Twitter
This is a new one: Esteban Loaiza, drug kingpin. The second-winningest pitcher from Mexico in MLB history was arrested Friday with 20 kilos of heroin or cocaine, according to San Diego police records. He’ll be in court Wednesday to face felony drug charges. Details are in pics.
Most fans remember Loaiza from his stint as a journeyman MLB pitcher who hurled for eight different teams in his career, including the Pirates, White Sox, Rangers and Blue Jays. He also spent seasons in L.A., Oakland, Washington and with the New York Yankees, where he caught a DUI in 2006.
His career year was in 2003 when Loaiza rose to one of the top arms in the game, going 21-9 with a 2.90 ERA for the White Sox and finishing second in the Cy Young balloting.
Loaiza is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday and his bail has been set at $200,000. Considering the amount of Nino Brown narcotics he was trafficking, that bail isnt too shabby. But apparently, now he is in a bases loaded, nobody out, bottom-of-the-ninth jam that Mariano Rivera couldnt pitch himself out of.
