Former Montreal Expos pitcher Pascual Perez was murdered in an armed robbery at his home in the Dominican Republic on Thursday. (QMI Agency/Files)
Former Montreal Expos pitcher Pascual Perez was killed Thursday in an armed robbery at his home in the Dominican Republic.
Perez, 55, was stabbed in the neck and died of his injuries in the town of Haina, 15 km west of the capital of Santo Domingo.
Perez had received his baseball pension money Wednesday, which could have provided a motive for the deadly attack, the website Dominican Today reported. Perez had been suffering with a terminal liver disease, his brother, Melido, said.
Perez pitched in the majors from 1980 to 1991 and was a popular Expos personality from 1987 to 1989.
The colourful character was known for his large jheri curl hairdo and odd expressions on the mound.
He also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves, gaining notoriety in Atlanta for getting lost on a highway while driving to the stadium.
Perez had a career record of 67-68 in 207 appearances.
His best season came in 1983 with the Braves, when he went 15-8 with a 3.43 earned-run average and played in the all-star game.
