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In 2006, the Mets signed Quintana as a free agent, out of Columbia.
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In 2007, Quintana did not play because he was suspended for violating the terms of minor league baseball's drug policy.
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After not pitching professionally in 2007, the Yankees signed Jose, giving the lefthander a second opportunity. He then spent two full seasons in the rookie-level Dominican Summer League before pitching in the U.S.
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On May 30, 2012, Quintana was ejected by umpire Mark Wegner from a game against the Rays after throwing a pitch behind Ben Zobrist.
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Jeff Samardzija has been impressed by Quintana's pitching. "He attacks—that's a great word for it," Samardzija said. "He gets a lot of quick outs. He pounds the zone with three or four great pitches. When you do that, you're going to be pretty successful." (Kaye - mlb.com - 2/25/2015)
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Spring 2017: Quintana played for Columbia in the World Baseball Classic.
JIMMY FALLON
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Jose made a promise at the end of the 2013 season. Jose, a native of Colombia, wanted to become fluent in English, being able to converse with his teammates and do his interviews with the media in the same way. And when Spring Training began in 2014, Quintana had achieved his goal.
No interpreter was needed, aside from occasional clarification on a point or two from Billy Russo, who serves in that role currently for the White Sox. Quintana was basically self-taught, aside from a couple of Chicago classes. His learning process began in-season, speaking with his teammates, listening closely to what they were saying and processing the words. He also watched American television shows to help pick up the language.
What were the shows Quintana relied upon, you may ask? "Who is that guy who made the Boston Red Sox movie?" asked Quintana, referring to "Fever Pitch."
"Jimmy Fallon," Russo responded.
"I watched his show," Quintana said, smiling a little broader at this point. "I watched a couple of TV shows from him. It's really funny." So the current host of "The Tonight Show" contributed to the current ace of the White Sox putting yet another impressive accomplishment on his resume. Ultimately, this is not a tale of Quintana's late-night endorsement as much as it's about the easy dedication and fervor with which Quintana approaches life.
"That's part of my job and I put a lot of effort in to learn that language," Quintana said. "It's fun. It's fun when you can talk with American guys and know what they mean and everything. It's a different language, sometimes a different style." (Merkin - mlb.com - 3/22/2017)
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After appearing as a guest on "The Tonight Show," with Jimmy Fallon, Jose has decided against a career in acting—at least in the near future.
"No, no. I'll keep pitching," Quintana said with a broad smile. "But it was good, and we had a meeting and spent a really good time there."
The connection between Quintana and Fallon began during Spring Training 2017, when Jose told MLB.com about watching Fallon's show as one of the ways in which he taught himself English. The White Sox, through Major League Baseball, helped set up this meeting during the team's visit to New York.
Quintana taped the segment April 16. In the segment, Quintana confirmed his English connection to Fallon and then helped Fallon learn some Spanish.
"Me llamo Jimmy Fallon," said Quintana, as he helped Fallon say his name in Spanish.
Fallon repeated that statement and did the same when Quintana said, "I am the host of the Tonight Show" in Spanish. And the last one interjected a little more humor, with Fallon saying in Spanish, "I forgot my wallet. Can you pay for my thong?"
There was even a shout-out of "Q" from Fallon at the segment's close. "It was fun. It was a great time. I was excited. I was a little nervous, but it was really easy. He made it easy for me," Quintana said. "He was a good guy. He was a natural guy. It was a great experience for me, and he asked me a lot about baseball, and we spent a good time together."
Jose rehearsed a little bit before the taping, but added it was pretty easy from the start. He received support and a little playful ribbing from his teammates over the appearance. "They were excited," Quintana said. "They said, 'You're the funny guy right now.' They were excited for me and said he's the best famous guy in the country, and I said, 'I know, I know. I watched his show.' So everybody was excited for me yesterday." (Merkin - mlb.com - 4/19/2017)
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July 28, 2017: After Jose collected his first Major League hit, a single to right in the third inning, he just wanted to touch the baseball. Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar obliged, handing the ball to Quintana as he stood on first base.
"I was excited when I hit that ball to right field," Quintana said. "I'm not a hitter, but I tried to do my best. When I got the hit, I was real excited. I wanted to touch the ball—it was good."
He had the ball in a box on his locker shelf after the game. Quintana knows the Cubs acquired him to bolster the rotation in the final months of the season.
"Every game counts," Quintana said. "I'm really happy to feel that atmosphere every night when I go to the mound. It was a tough night for me." (C Muskat - MLB.com - July 29, 2017)
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In 2008, Carlos Chantres was a coach in the Yankees' organization when he first saw Jose at the team's Dominican Republic academy. "I still remember to this day, walking down a path and to my left, I see him throwing, and I said, 'Who's this?'" Chantres said of the then-19-year-old lefty. "I keep walking, and I get to the fence and he's pretty good. It was just the way the ball was coming out of his hand. The arm worked nice."
Chantres could see a few mechanical flaws in Quintana's delivery, but he knew they were fixable. "He had an idea of his delivery already," Chantres said. "We tweaked some stuff, nothing crazy. He was a smart kid. He learned English quickly. We worked on staying back a little bit, the balance stuff, but overall, the credit is to him."
Asked if there was one coach who had the most influence on him, Quintana picked Chantres, now in the Braves' organization. The two still stay in touch, texting about once a month to catch up on their families, baseball and life.
Chantres sensed that Quintana was motivated. The pitcher had signed with the Mets in 2006, but he was released in July 2007. The Yankees signed him in March 2008. "His getting released opened his eyes a little bit," Chantres said. "'I'm not on a team now—what do I do?' That second chance with the Yankees, that was huge."
Quintana is motivated in the 2018 season as well. He wants another trip to the postseason and more games like his Cubs debut on July 16 against the Orioles, when he struck out 12 over seven scoreless innings.
Chantres saw what Quintana could be 10 years ago in the Dominican Republic.
"That's his rhythm, that's his timing," Chantres said. "That was the timing he needed to get to all his key points. Once he got to those key points, he started. I wanted to take him when I was the pitching coach at Class A Charleston, I wanted him. They told me he needed to stay [in the lower levels]. Things happen for a reason. He stayed there and got called up to pitch in high A in a spot start. He went back up again because a guy couldn't start, and he stayed there.
"He's a pro. Everything he does, he's a pro," Chantres said. "God bless him, it worked out for him." (Muskat - mlb.com - 3/20/2018)
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Here are some things you should know about "Q":
–Growing up in Colombia, he admired Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera. "Edgar Renteria was my hero," Quintana said. "He's my friend. He lives in the same city where I live, close to me. He's a great person. I learned a lot from him."
–Quintana was a first baseman and center fielder, and he didn't start pitching until he was 15 years old.
–Yes, Quintana did watch Jimmy Fallon on television to learn English. There was something about Fallon's accent that made it easy for Quintana to understand. Quintana did appear on "The Tonight Show" in April 2017 to talk about the experience. "It was pretty special," Quintana said. "He's a famous guy in this country, but most important, he's a great person. That's what I saw when I talked to him."
–It was with the Yankees and Chantres that Quintana learned to develop a routine to prepare for his starts. Chantres, whose family is Cuban and who lives in Miami, was with Quintana in the Dominican Republic in 2008 and 2009, and again in 2010 when the lefty was pitching in the Gulf Coast League.
"He put in the hard work and applied everything we talked about, and the rest is history," Chantres said. "He's a pro. That's the best way to describe him. He knows what to do, he goes about his business well. He knows how to carry himself. Props to him, because he had to go through some adversity, not getting called up, stuff like that, coming from Colombia. Again, it was all him. He deserves all the credit."
–During a Spring Training 2018 simulated game, one of the observers was Adbert Alzolay. The Venezuelan pitcher, ranked No. 1 on MLB Pipeline's list of Top 30 Cubs prospects, tried to watch every one of Quintana's side sessions. Lefty reliever Rob Zastryzny downloaded four of Quintana's games to his iPad to study. Quintana's delivery is so precise that youngsters want to copy it. (Muskat - mlb.com - 3/20/2018)
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Quintana is the only pitcher to make 10 or more starts for both the Cubs and White Sox in the same season.
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New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana didn’t receive a positive injury update after he was forced to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic. The Mets announced that Quintana has a small stress fracture in his left rib cage. The pitcher is headed back to New York for further tests.
Jose Quintana was supposed to pitch for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic. (March 6, 2023 - Anthony Riccobono)
TRANSACTIONS
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2006: The Mets signed Quintana as a free agent, out of Columbia.
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2007: The Mets released Quintana.
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March 10, 2008: He signed as a free agent with the Yankees.
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November 6, 2010: Quintana became a free agent.
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December 15, 2010: He again signed with the Yankees as a free agent.
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November 10, 2011: Quintana signed with the White Sox organization.
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March 24, 2014: Jose and the White Sox agreed on a five-year contract that could be worth as much as $26 million guaranteed. Two team options could take the deal into the 2020 season and possibly make the total value $48 million.
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July 13, 2017: Quintana was traded to the Cubs in exchange for two Top 100 Prospects—outfielder Eloy Jimenez (No. 8) and RHP Dylan Cease (No. 63), plus first baseman Matt Rose and infielder Bryant Flete.
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Nov 2, 2019: The Cubs picked up the $10.5 million team option for Quintana for the 2020 season.
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Oct. 28, 2020: Jose became a free agent.
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Jan. 20, 2021: The Angels signed veteran left-hander Jose Quintana to a one-year, $8 million deal.
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Aug 30, 2021: The Giants claimed Jose off waivers from the Angels.
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Oct. 20, 2021: Quintana chose free agency.
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Nov. 22, 2021: The Pirates signed Quintana to a one-year deal in the $2 million range.
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Aug 1, 2022: The Cards obtained LHP Jose Quintana and reliever Chris Stratton from the Pirates. The Pirates received a pair of Cuban natives in 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo and 21-year-old third base/first base prospect Malcolm Nuñez.
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Nov. 6, 2022: Jose became a free agent.
- Dec 7, 2022: The Mets signed Jose to a two-year contract worth $26 million.