José Rijo, Dominican baseball player
José Antonio Rijo Abreu (born May 13, 1965) is a Dominican former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who spent the majority of his career with the Cincinnati Reds (1988–1995 and 2001–2002). Originally signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1980, Rijo made his MLB debut with them in 1984, and also played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics. He pitched and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall, and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg) during his playing career.The most notable success of Rijo's career came as a member of the Reds, where each year as a starting pitcher from 1988−1993, he posted an earned run average (ERA) below 3.00. He won a World Series title in 1990 and that event's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). In 1993, he was the National League (NL) leader in strikeouts and Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at 10.6. He was named to the All-Star Game in 1994.
Elbow injuries sidelined Rijo for most of the 1995 season, and from 1996−2000, prevented him from appearing in the major leagues in spite of all his efforts. In 2001, he returned to the major leagues as a relief pitcher with the Reds. By doing so, he became the first player to appear in a game after receiving a Baseball Hall of Fame vote since Minnie Miñoso in 1976. As a result, Rijo was the Tony Conigliaro Award winner in 2002. He again retired after that season, and was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2005.