José Rafael Valverde is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. His nickname is Papa Grande . He was born in in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Valverde made his Major League Baseball debut in 2003 to help out the injury plagued Arizona Diamondbacks, joining Brandon Webb and Andrew Good after injuries to Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling left the team out of contention. Although he had been the Diamondbacks closer since replacing Brian Bruney in 2005, trouble on the mound in the month of June 2006 forced management to give the... role to Jorge Julio. Valverde regained the role after spending some time with the Diamondbacks Triple-A affiliate, the Tucson Sidewinders. He returned to the closer role in early September and pitched well in his return. Valverde finished the 2006 season with a record of two wins, three losses, an ERA of 5.84 and 18 saves. On June 23, 2007, Valverde passed Matt Mantei as the Diamondbacks all-time saves leader, with his 75th, a perfect ninth against the Baltimore Orioles.
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| Birthdate: | March 24, 1978 |
| Birthplace: | San Pedro de Macorís |
| Age: | 34 |
| All Positions Played: | Relief pitcher, Pitcher, Closer |
| Also known as: | Jose Valverde |