Francisco Casillas Liriano (born October 26, 1983, in Juan Barón, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic) is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.
Liriano was traded by the San Francisco Giants along with closer Joe Nathan and starter Boof Bonser in exchange for catcher A. J. Pierzynski (now of the Chicago White Sox). Pierzynski was released after just one season with the Giants. Often compared to former teammat...
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Francisco Casillas Liriano (born October 26, 1983, in Juan Barón, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic) is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.
Liriano was traded by the San Francisco Giants along with closer Joe Nathan and starter Boof Bonser in exchange for catcher A. J. Pierzynski (now of the Chicago White Sox). Pierzynski was released after just one season with the Giants. Often compared to former teammate Johan Santana, another hard-throwing lefty, Liriano was touted as one of the "super-prospects" within the Minnesota Twins organization. In 2005, he led all minor league pitchers in strikeouts, with 204.
He made his major league debut in relief on September 5, 2005, against the Texas Rangers. He later joined the Twins' starting rotation and won his first game on September 30, 2005, against the Detroit Tigers. Liriano started the 2006 season in Minnesota's bullpen, but was promoted to the starting rotation in May, exchanging positions with...
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