I-285
On this day in 1984, Atlanta Braves pitcher Pascual Perez was suspended from major league baseball for a cocaine arrest three months prior in his native Dominican Republic (see The No Mas Illustrated History of Drugs in Sports). He was supposed to be out until May 16, but eventually the sentence was reduced and he was reinstated on April 29.
Perez earned the nickname I-285 when he missed what was supposed to be his first start with the Braves in 1982 because he got lost looking for Fulton County Stadium. He circled the entire city in his car twice on Interstate 285, eventually running out of gas and having to borrow $10 from a station attendant. He made it to the stadium in the second inning, missed his debut, and was known in Atlanta as I-285 forever afterward.
In retrospect, it was only a small harbinger of the carnival that would ensue. For his look alone - the Jheri curls, the gold tooth, the conspicuous in-game bling - Pascual is a No Mas All-Star, and that's not even to get into his on-field proficiency with the finger-gun and his love of the beanball and his recurrent use of the Eephus ball and just his generally inappropriate and hilarious antics on the mound.
Of course, the good life eventually caught up with Pascual, as it did with so many of his peers. Following a 1-13 campaign in 1985 (never a good sign), he was suspended indefinitely by the Braves in July of 1986 after repeatedly going AWOL in the true fashion of a cocaine cowboy. He returned to the bigs in 1987 with the Expos and had two strong seasons before dropping off again. In 1990 and '91 he suffered arm troubles and life troubles and pitched sporadically and unevenly with the Yankees. Before the 1992 season, he incurred another drug suspension from MLB, this one for a year, and that was it for the Pascual show in The Show. He resurfaced playing pro ball in the Dominican in the mid-90's, jheri curls intact thank God.
Perez earned the nickname I-285 when he missed what was supposed to be his first start with the Braves in 1982 because he got lost looking for Fulton County Stadium. He circled the entire city in his car twice on Interstate 285, eventually running out of gas and having to borrow $10 from a station attendant. He made it to the stadium in the second inning, missed his debut, and was known in Atlanta as I-285 forever afterward.
In retrospect, it was only a small harbinger of the carnival that would ensue. For his look alone - the Jheri curls, the gold tooth, the conspicuous in-game bling - Pascual is a No Mas All-Star, and that's not even to get into his on-field proficiency with the finger-gun and his love of the beanball and his recurrent use of the Eephus ball and just his generally inappropriate and hilarious antics on the mound.
Of course, the good life eventually caught up with Pascual, as it did with so many of his peers. Following a 1-13 campaign in 1985 (never a good sign), he was suspended indefinitely by the Braves in July of 1986 after repeatedly going AWOL in the true fashion of a cocaine cowboy. He returned to the bigs in 1987 with the Expos and had two strong seasons before dropping off again. In 1990 and '91 he suffered arm troubles and life troubles and pitched sporadically and unevenly with the Yankees. Before the 1992 season, he incurred another drug suspension from MLB, this one for a year, and that was it for the Pascual show in The Show. He resurfaced playing pro ball in the Dominican in the mid-90's, jheri curls intact thank God.
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