Facts

A prep basketball star at LaSalle High School in New York City, John Candelaria set the school school record for most points and finished second in career rebounding to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Notable Achievements

* NL All-Star (1977)
* 1986 AL Comeback Player of the Year Award
* NL ERA Leader (1977)
* NL Winning Percentage Leader (1977)
* 15 Wins Seasons: 3 (1976, 1977 & 1983)
* 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1977)
* 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1976, 1977, 1979 & 1980)
* Won a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979

Candelaria to the Angels(From Angels Win dot com):

How He Was Acquired: Candelaria was part of a six-player trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 3, 1986. He arrived with pitcher Al Holland and outfielder George Hendrick in exchange for outfielder Mike Brown, pitcher Pat Clements and a player to be named later.

Why You Should Know Him: Candelaria was the winning pitcher in a 5-3 victory over the Red Sox that gave the Angels a 2-1 series lead in their 1986 ALCS matchup, but he took the loss in an 8-1 defeat in Game Seven. He later had a very public spat with former Angels teammate Don Sutton, claiming Sutton had called the police to tip them off before they arrested Candelaria for the first of two DUIs in 1987. Candelaria claimed that Sutton was trying to save his own job by getting Candelaria arrested.

Memorable Moments/Games: Candelaria was a key pickup for the Angels in 1986, finishing with a 10-2 record, a 2.55 ERA and one shutout in 16 starts. His first three starts for the Angels were a 14-3 win over Milwaukee, a 12-3 win over Boston and a 9-3 win over Toronto. His 8-3 win over Texas clinched the American League West for the Angels, giving them a 10-game cushion with nine games left. 

Anecdotes and Quotes: Candelaria stood 6’7” and his fastball was clocked in the high 90s during the early part of his career. Originally scouted by the Dodgers, he was in line to sign with them until he appeared at a tryout wearing a shirt that had a marijuana leaf on it and the caption “try some, you’ll like it.” The Dodgers loss was the Pirates gain. Candelaria later threw a no-hitter against the Dodgers in 1976.