José “Carrao” Bracho: The inventor of the fork throw (+Christmas)

On July 23, 1928, José de la Trinidad Bracho Briceño, a prominent Venezuelan pitcher, better known as “Carrao” Bracho, was born in Maracaibo, Zulia state.

At an early age, he dedicated himself to being a fisherman like his father. In his spare time, he played for the Marabino team Orange Victoria where he occupied the position of third base.

Manager José Antonio Casanova discovered the power of Carrao's right arm and immediately sought contacts so that the 20-year-old boy, then, made his debut in Venezuelan professional baseball in 1948 with Cervecería de Caracas; a team he played with until 1952.

He played for 23 seasons in Creole ball in different teams: Leones del Caracas, Pastora de Occidente, Navegantes del Magallanes, Tiburones de La Guaira, Cardenales de Lara and Águilas del Zulia. Throughout his career, he scored 109 wins with 852 strikeouts.

In addition, he announced his strength as a pitcher in Toronto AAA, in Canada; San Antonio AA, in Texas; with the Eastern Stars, in Santo Domingo; and with the Sugar Kings, in Cuba.

Considered the inventor of the fork lift, his career in the major leagues never materialized because of his fear of airplanes. In 2003, he was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame.

He died on June 16, 2011, leaving his example of perseverance and effort in today's baseball player.

Mazo News Team