Orosco selected for CCCAA Hall of Fame

Former SBCC baseball pitcher and Major League star Jesse Orosco has been selected for the CCCAA Hall of Fame. He'll be the first athlete from SBCC to be inducted into the elite California Community College Athletic Association organization.

Others in the 2017 CCCAA Hall of Fame class are former NFL player and coach, and current ESPN analyst Herman Edwards; Super Bowl-winning lineman Derrick Deese and Butte College athletics coach and administrator Marilyn Williams.

     CCCAA story on 2017 Hall of Fame class

The CCCAA Sports Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed in California community college athletics. It honors those who have made the most of their experiences as California community college student-athletes, coaches and administrators while maximizing their own potential to better themselves along with those with whom they come in contact.

This year's class will be inducted on March 29 at the Hilton Concord during the organization's annual convention. The Hall of Fame was founded in 1984 and has 131 members.

There are two SBCC administrators or coaches in the Hall. Longtime athletic director Bob Dinaberg was inducted in 2010 and women's volleyball coach Pat Moorhouse in 2014.

Orosco was a pitcher on the Santa Barbara City College baseball team in 1977-78. He earned All-WSC honors in 1978 and helped the Vaqueros win the Western State Conference title. He went on to have an amazing 24-year career as a left-handed reliever in Major League Baseball with two All-Star selections and a pair of World Series titles.

Orosco won World Series championships with the New York Mets in 1986 and the L.A. Dodgers in 1988. He was on the mound when the Mets beat the Red Sox 8-5 in Game 7 and struck out Marty Barrett to finish a six-out save. He tossed his glove in the air, dropped to his knees and raised his arms in one of the most iconic moments in Mets' history.

Orosco holds the Major League record for appearances by a pitcher with 1,252 games. He made the National League All-Star team in 1983 and 1984.

Drafted in the second round in 1978 by the Minnesota Twins, he started his career in 1979 with the New York Mets and played 24 years in the big leagues for nine teams. He played for the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins.

He had a career record of 87-80 with a 3.16 ERA and 144 saves. His best season was 1983 when he went 13-7 with 17 saves for the Mets with a 1.47 ERA and 84 strikeouts. He finished third in the NL Cy Young voting.

He retired at age 46 in 2003 as one of the oldest players to still be playing in the modern age. He's one of only 29 players in baseball history to play in four decades.

Orosco, who also starred at Santa Barbara High, has supported Vaquero athletics over the years. His daughter Natalie played on the 2012 and 2013 Vaquero softball teams.