Two days after making history as the first pitcher from Oaxaca, Mexico to reach the majors, José ‘Tibu’ Rodríguez walked off the mound clean again. On September 20 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, he handled the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers — Evan Carter opened with a single, but Rodríguez worked out of it without allowing a run. His MLB ERA stayed at 0.00. Toronto won 7-2 and kept breathing in the American League Wild Card race.
Two zeroes in two days — with history in between
His debut had come on September 18, also against the Rangers, also at Globe Life Field. Rodríguez threw 1.2 innings: one hit, zero runs, zero walks, and two strikeouts — including Jake Burger on his very first MLB batter faced. Toronto lost that game 7-1, but the night belonged to Oaxacan baseball. Rodríguez became the 158th Mexico-born player to reach the big leagues, and the first from his home state to do it from the mound.
Before him, only two Oaxaca-born players had ever appeared in MLB: Vinicio Castilla with the Atlanta Braves in 1991 and Gerónimo Gil with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001 — both as position players. The wait for an Oaxacan pitcher in the majors lasted exactly 25 years from Gil’s last appearance.
The second outing: close call, same result
Carter’s leadoff single in the seventh made it feel like the zero might finally crack. It didn’t. Rodríguez shut the door, bringing his MLB line to 2.2 innings pitched, zero earned runs allowed. Toronto’s 7-2 win was useful too — the Blue Jays remain in contention for the third AL Wild Card spot with under two weeks left in the regular season.
Worth noting: in that September 20 victory, Rodríguez worked with catcher Alejandro Kirk — making the Blue Jays a team with two Mexican players on the field simultaneously, a rare sight in recent Canadian baseball history.
Where ‘Tibu’ comes from
The nickname isn’t about his stuff. Tibu is inherited from his father, Guillermo ‘Tiburón’ Rodríguez, a former player who now runs the Academia de Béisbol Alfredo Harp Helú in San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca — the same academy where José developed before signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent in 2019.
In the Dodgers system, he built an arsenal that at Triple-A Oklahoma City averaged 96.5 mph on his four-seamer and sinker, paired with a changeup that posted a 68% whiff rate. His best stretch at that level: a 3.38 ERA and 3.84 FIP over 29.1 innings. In the minors overall, he’s 31-13 with a 4.01 ERA and 342 strikeouts in 244.2 innings — including 14 strikeouts per nine innings in 2025 split between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A OKC.
The Blue Jays acquired him from the Dodgers on September 1, 2026 in exchange for fellow pitcher Sebastián Rodríguez. He passed through Triple-A Buffalo before Toronto selected his contract on September 18 — the same day they designated Michael Lorenzen for assignment. Two hours later, Rodríguez was warming up in the bullpen.
Toronto alive, Tibu useful
When Rodríguez debuted on September 18, the Blue Jays were 75-75, one game behind the third AL Wild Card. Texas came in at 74-76. The September 20 win improved that margin for Toronto. In a bullpen that needs clean outs down the stretch, a reliever with two scoreless appearances isn’t just a feel-good story — he’s a real weapon.
Rodríguez is also the sixth Mexican player to debut in the 2026 season, following Brandon Valenzuela, Samy Natera, Luis Gastélum, Gerardo Carrillo, and Jared Serna.
Oaxaca waited 25 years for a pitcher in the big leagues. He’s thrown 2.2 innings. He’s allowed zero runs. And the Blue Jays are still in the fight.
About that Evan Carter single
Carter’s hit to open the seventh wasn’t a fluke — but his 2026 numbers tell a complicated story:
- 438 plate appearances in 2026
- 9 home runs, 38 RBI
- AVG: .189 | OPS: .595
- xwOBA: .273 (3rd percentile in MLB)
- Average exit velocity: 87.6 mph | Barrel rate: 5.1% | Hard-hit: 34.9%
- Chase rate discipline: 96th percentile (elite) | Sprint speed: 88th percentile
In short: Carter makes excellent contact decisions and runs well, but the quality of contact isn’t backing it up in 2026. Rodríguez escaped him anyway.
