A TO Z: U is for...

Ubaldo Jimenez, who spent a dozen years pitching in the majors; first and most successfully with the Rockies, highlighted by a 2010 no-hitter against the Braves, then two-and-a-half seasons with Cleveland; finally with the Orioles.

Part of the challenge of compiling this A to Z series was finding a match for every letter of the alphabet; U was tough, as so few players have that as the first letter of their first name.  Luckily, I caught a Jimenez start against the Yankees in 2012 -- he's facing Mark Teixeira in this image.

Unless a player goes into coaching or broadcasting, you tend to lose track of them after they call it a career.  Searching online for a "closing thought," I found this very cool story about Jimenez earning his college degree to fulfill a promise made to his mother before he signed his first professional contract.  It's clear regardless of whether he ever resurfaces in baseball, he's set himself up for personal success.
 

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