Esteban Luis Yan (born June 22, 1975) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in all or parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball. At , , he batted and threw right-handed.

Early years

Yan was originally signed by the Atlanta Braves as an amateur free agent in 1990. He was traded along with Tony Tarasco and Roberto Kelly from the Braves to the Montreal Expos for Marquis Grissom on April 6, 1995. After spending time in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut with the Baltimore Orioles on May 20, 1996. In 15 games, he was 0–1 with a 6.94 ERA.

St. Louis

He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on May 26, 2003, for a minor league outfielder and cash.

Detroit

In 2004, Yan pitched for the Detroit Tigers. He rebounded from the previous three seasons, as his ERA sat at a career-low 3.83 in a career-high 69 appearances.

California

In 2005, Yan pitched for the Angels. He was 1–1 in 49 games. In 2006, he began the season with the Angels.

Cincinnati

He was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds on May 30.

Asia

Yan spent the 2007 season as a pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. In 2008, Yan rejoined the Orioles organization, but this time with its minor league affiliate the Norfolk Tides. Yan was released on July 18, 2008. He signed with SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball League in July 2008 and spent the rest of the season with them.

Mexico

Yan spent the first half of 2009 pitching for the Bridgeport Bluefish, an unaffiliated minor league team in the Atlantic League. On August 11, 2009, Yan signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins and was assigned to the New Orleans Zephyrs. However, he failed the physical and stayed with Bridgeport. He signed with the Diablos Rojos del México to start 2010, then returned to the Bluefish, by whom he was activated on August 17. He returned to the Bluefish in 2011, splitting the season between Bridgeport and the Vaqueros Laguna of the Mexican League. He signed with the Saraperos de Saltillo for the 2012 season.

Television

Yan is the first member of the Tampa Bay Rays to be named on The Simpsons. In the March 16, 2003, episode entitled "C. E. D'oh!," Bart Simpson exclaims "Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!" while playing baseball, to which Milhouse replies "Well, I'm Esteban Yan of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays!", referencing the relative obscurity of the two pitchers and their respective teams.

See also

  • List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their first major league at bat

References

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