The 23-year-old right-handed pitcher Jorge Balboa returns to his home country Spain after one year in Italy, joining reigning champion Tenerife Marlins Puerto Cruz. He had an ERA of 3.38 in eight relief appearances for the Italian Baseball League club Telemarket Rimini in 2009, collecting seven strikeouts (four walks) in eight innings.
Between 2005 and 2007 Balboa played for Hercules L’Hospitalet in the Spanish Division de Honor before moving to the FC Barcelona in 2008. He had a 7-1 record with an ERA of 1.57 in his last year in Spain, earning a contract with the Pirates in the following winter. During the 2009 Baseball World Cup he gave up six hits, four runs and two walks in four innings through three appearances for the Spanish National Team.
