Former Phillie of the Day - Porfi Altamirano

Today's Former Phillie of the Day makes an appearance because of a series of memories that somehow popped into my head. I was thinking about the late Harry Kalas and how I loved the way he pronounced the names of some players. Mick-ee More-an-dee-nee, Don Car-man, and Michael Jack Schmidt are some that immediately came to mind.

Then one of my all-time favorite Harry pronunciations appeared–Porfirio Altamirano. Porfi (as he was known) was the first Nicaraguan-born player to pitch for the Phillies. The Phillies bought his contact from the Miami Amigos of the Inter-American League in 1980. He pitched for AAA Oklahoma City from 1980 until 1982, where he was both a starter and a reliever. He wasn't overpowering, but was durable enough to serve as a reliable bullpen arm.

Porfi made his first big-league appearance on May 9, 1982 against the San Diego Padres. He pitched a perfect 9th inning, striking out one in a 5-0 Phillies loss. His longest appearance was on May 31, when he pitched 2.2 innings out of the bullpen in a 15-inning 5-4 Phillies win over Cincinnati. He gave up 3 hits and walked 1, but struck out 3 and kept the Phils in the game.

He went 5-1 with 2 saves for the Phils in 1982. He even got a hit, back when relief pitchers actually batted once in a while. Porfi made the Phillies out of spring training in 1983, and was used often. He was called on 8 times in the 13 games in July, but didn't pitch from July 25 until Oct. 1. He was probably hurt but I can't find any listing of a disabled list move.

Porfi didn't appear in the playoffs against the Dodgers or the World Series against the Orioles in 1983. In 2 seasons with the Phils, he appeared in 60 games, pitching 80.1 innings. He was traded to the Cubs in 1984.