The Italian Baseball League club CARIPARMA brings in another Venezuelan pitcher besides Riccardo Palma. Former Minor Leaguer Oscar Lira will bolster the team in the 2009 season. The 26-year-old is from Caracas, Venezuela and signed with the Montreal Expos organization in the January 2001. He made professional debut in the Gulf Coast League at the age of 21 in 2004 and stayed with the club also after moving to Washington D.C.
He played for affiliates up to High A during three seasons and was released by the Nationals in December 2006. In 47 games (13 starts) Lira had a 2-5 record with an ERA of 4.28 and a WHIP of 1.45. He picked up 76 strikeouts (50 walks) in 124 innings. The past two years the right-hander pitched in the Venezuelan Liga Paralela and in a league in the Netherlands Antilles. In 2008 he had a 4-2 record with an ERA of 1.69 in eleven games for the Royal Scorpions in Curacao, striking out 66 (37 bb) in 58 2/3 innings.
His new teammate in PARMA, Johnny Balentina recommended Lira to the front office, which already knew him since a few years and Massimo Fochi didn’t hesitate to sign him. They already played their first preseason game last weekend against Collecchio. CARIPARMA opens the 2009 season against FORTITUDO BOLOGNA on April 10th.