Pedro Borbon Sr., a solid relief pitcher for the "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970s, has been lost to cancer. From the Associated Press:
Pedro Borbon Sr., Big Red Machine Reliever, Dead At 65
A key reliever for the champion Reds teams of the 1970s has passed away.
Borbon had been in hospice care at his home in Pharr, Texas, his son, Pedro, told The Associated Press in a phone interview. Borbon requested to be cremated without a memorial service, his son said.
“He was probably most proud of the World Series championships,” his son said. “He would talk about it often. He was also proud that he never once had a sore arm. He could pitch almost every day.”
Borbon appeared in more games than any National League pitcher from 1970 through '78. You might be more familiar with another son, also named Pedro, who pitched for five teams from 1992-2003. Both Borbons have World Series rings, the father from the Reds in 1975 and 1976, and the son with the Atlanta Braves in 1995.
If you’re racking your brains because you remember Borbon from something outside baseball, you’re right:
Borbon also got notice for his mention in the 1980 movie “Airplane!” While trying to concentrate, pilot Ted Striker hears a public address announcer’s voice in his head: “Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon ... Manny Mota.”
“He was always talking about that,” his son said. “A lot of people remember him by that. He liked that.”
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