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Vicente de la Cruz Padilla (born September 27, 1977) is a former professional baseball pitcher. Padilla played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Padilla made his Major League debut on June 29 against the Cincinnati Reds, pitching in the ninth inning and giving up four hits and three runs without recording an out, getting the loss and a blown save for the effort. Padilla appeared in four more games in 1999. He also appeared in 27 games in relief for the Diamondbacks in 2000, finishing 2–1 with a 2.31 ERA, with his first win coming on May 9 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He was moved to the starting rotation in and made his first start on April 3 against the Atlanta Braves, working six innings and picking up the win. He finished the season 14–11 with a 3.28 ERA in 32 starts and was selected to appear in the All-Star Game.
He battled injuries during the and seasons, posting a combined win–loss record of 16–19.
After posting a 4.71 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP during the 2005 season, Padilla was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ricardo Rodríguez.
In 2006, he and Kevin Millwood won 15 games; a total not matched by a Rangers pitcher until Scott Feldman surpassed it in 2009. Wilson, Jeff, "Road-warrior Feldman paces Rangers again", The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9/4/09, accessed 9/4/09
His 11 road victories in 2008 matched a club record set by Rick Helling (1998), later surpassed by Scott Feldman (2009).Palmer, Matt "Rangers roll, trim Wild Card deficit to two: Feldman stifles Orioles for 11th road victory, 15th overall", MLB.com, 9/4/09, accessed 9/4/09
On July 22, 2009, Padilla tested positive for swine flu, and was believed to be the first major U.S. athlete to catch the disease.
On August 7, 2009, Padilla was designated for assignment by the Rangers after going 8–6 with a 4.92 ERA in 18 starts. Ten days later Padilla was given his release. He was released because he was "regarded as a disruptive clubhouse presence." Sports Illustrated, "To Live and Thrive In L.A." by Tom Verducci, October 19, 2009, pg 48
On October 10, 2009, Padilla was the starting and winning pitcher in the clinching Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching seven scoreless innings. He also pitched well in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies, working innings and only allowing one run in a game the Dodgers eventually won. However, he picked up the loss, giving up six earned runs in three innings of work, in the deciding Game 5, allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to advance to the World Series for the second straight year.
On November 3, 2009, Padilla was injured when he was accidentally shot in the leg at a shooting range in Nicaragua. It was not a serious injury. Vicente Padilla accidentally shot in leg
On January 21, 2010, Padilla re-signed with the Dodgers, a one-year, $5.025 million deal, with $1 million of that in the form of a signing bonus. Dodgers sign Vicente Padilla , NBC Sports. Published January 21, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
On March 25, 2010, the Dodgers announced that Padilla would be their opening day starter for the 2010 season. Due to a number of recurring injuries, Padilla only was able to start 16 games for the Dodgers in 2010, finishing 6–5 with a 4.31 ERA. His best performance was a complete-game shutout against the San Diego Padres on August 4. He made just three more starts after that before he was shut down for the season. After the season, Padilla re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, incentive-laden deal. Dodgers complete one-year deal with Padilla
He was injured in spring training in 2011 and began the season on the disabled list, rejoining the team on April 23 as a reliever. In his new role, he picked up his first save since 2000 in a 10-inning game against the Florida Marlins on April 27. He became the Dodgers closer for a brief time after Jonathan Broxton was placed on the disabled list. However, he also wound up on the disabled list on May 14. He was first shut down with a forearm injury and later with neck problems, which required surgery. Padilla to have neck surgery Thursday He was unable to return to the Dodgers in 2011, appearing in only nine games, pitching innings with a 4.15 ERA and three saves. This was the fewest appearances for Padilla since his first season, and the first year he did not start any games since 2001 with the Phillies. He became a free agent following the season.
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