On paper, Anthony Vasquez has perhaps the most confusing legacy of any athlete who has ever put on a USC uniform. He’s been called the “King of the Postseason” for his pitching heroics. He also had one of the worst MLB careers of all time. 

So, what defines Vasquez? His greatest successes? His biggest failures? His shiniest trophies? His toughest obstacles? 

None of the above, if you ask him. Vasquez looks at his career as one thing only: a blessing. 

“I played well, and I played for a long time, and I’m super thankful for that opportunity,” Vasquez said. 

He credits that attitude, which is deeply rooted in his religious faith having grown up Christian in San Antonio, Texas, for shaping his baseball career. 

“That goes back to my faith, just trying to work as hard as I can at all times, be a good teammate, [and] appreciate what I have,” Vasquez said. 

His faith-filled career began at the age of 11 on his first Little League team, the San Antonio Red Sox. There, a teammate named James Keithley turned into a lifelong best friend. 

Vasquez and Keithley grew up together, playing video games and chasing the Little League World Series. Keithley knows better than anyone what an unwavering friend and teammate Vasquez is. 

“He’s always been beyond dependable, not only for me as a friend, but also I have three kids, and he’d drop anything at any point to be there for my family,” Keithley said. “He’d take the shirt off his back for pretty much anybody he cares about … You don’t find that in too many people nowadays.” 

Their friendship only grew with their baseball journeys, and they would eventually both be drafted by MLB teams.  

Vasquez’s first big baseball opportunity toward reaching his MLB goals came at Texas A&M, but it was short-lived. Former A&M Head Coach Mark Johnson, who recruited Vasquez, was fired before Vasquez’s freshman year, leaving him with an unfamiliar coaching staff. 

Vasquez stuck it out at A&M for a year, but decided he wanted to play for a staff that originally recruited him. Luckily, USC and former Trojan Head Coach Chad Kreuter were still interested. Vasquez transferred to USC in 2007 and had a stellar three-year career as a pitcher and outfielder. 

Former USC baseball student manager Jared Sandler, now a radio broadcaster for the Texas Rangers, was in awe of Vasquez’s versatility. 

“One day, he’s gonna shut you down on the mound, and the next day, he’s gonna be out somewhere in the field, making a difference in the field and at the plate,” Sandler said. 

Vasquez also brought a relaxed, fun presence to the Trojan clubhouse. 

“Just a fun guy to be around, his laugh is infectious,” said former USC right-hander Daniel Cooper. “Always laughing, always having a good time, always a good dude to talk to. One of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had; [I] was super thankful to get to play with him at ‘SC and then continue my professional career with him.” 

During his senior season for the Trojans in 2009, Vasquez turned in one of the signature pitching performances he’d later become known for. In a game on Cinco de Mayo in 2009, Vasquez pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout, blanking the No. 12 ranked Cal Poly Mustangs to lead the Trojans to a 5-0 win. It was apparent even then that Vasquez had the skills to put his team on his back in big games. 

“He had a really good mix, had a really good breaking ball, and I just remember he was someone who was going to throw strikes,” Sandler said. “He had really good command, and usually that is something that you attribute to someone who is a really good athlete because they have a really repeatable delivery.” 

Vasquez was drafted in the 18th round of the 2009 draft by the Seattle Mariners, and he shot up through the levels of the minor leagues very quickly, culminating in a call-up to the big leagues in 2011. He got his first MLB win in his first start against Cleveland in a 12-7 Mariners victory. And then, things went sideways. 

Vasquez went 1-6 with an unsightly 8.90 ERA in his brief stint with the Mariners in 2011. He infamously gave up as many home runs as he had strikeouts in that span, with 13 of each. It was one of the worst half-seasons for a starting pitcher anyone could remember. 

He spent all of the 2012 season in the minor leagues and nearly lost his life during the offseason after a blood vessel in his brain ruptured. 

Most people would have been devastated. Vasquez felt as blessed as ever.

“Just [having] health and coming through it was a big blessing,” Vasquez said. “You can control what you can control, and that was something that was out of my hands. I was just leaving it up to God at the time, and if that was gonna be the end of my career, then that’s what it was gonna be.”

Vasquez’s grounded perspective was extremely apparent to those closest to him. 

“It’s okay to be content when he went through what he did with his brain aneurysm and  his brain injury. [He’s] grateful for every day he was just able to pick up a ball and keep doing it,” Keithley said. 

Vasquez ultimately did return to the mound in 2013, splitting time between the Jackson Generals and Clinton LumberKings. But in 2014, he wouldn’t return to the Mariners’ organization. Ultimately, he’d never return to the big leagues at all, but Vasquez did have a lengthy and successful career in affiliated minor league baseball. 

Across 11 minor league seasons from 2009 to 2019, Vasquez had a record of 84-71 with a 4.09 ERA and 859 career strikeouts. He did a lot of this at the Triple-A level, the highest level of professional baseball below the majors. 

Cooper, a teammate of Vasquez’s at USC, ended up reuniting with him in the Mariners system from 2009 to 2011, and they played on a few minor league teams together. To this day, Cooper marvels at the minor league success of his former teammate. 

“He was one of the most dominant minor league players I ever saw,” Cooper said. 

Vasquez remained forever a call away from the bigs, forever infamously immortalized with 13 strikeouts and 13 homers allowed. 

It’s easy to wonder if Vasquez might have gotten another big league shot if he was in different organizations at different times. But Vasquez doesn’t dwell on what-ifs. He celebrates what is. 

“I felt like I was in the game at the right time,” Vasquez said. “I’m super blessed. If I was drafted today, I think I would have lasted a third of the time.” 

His hunger to keep playing led him to pursue baseball in Mexico. Beginning at the end of the 2014 season, Vasquez began participating in the annual Mexican Pacific Winter League, a professional league that takes place after the conclusion of the typical baseball season. 

Vasquez played primarily for the Tomateros De Culiacán, and it was with them that he became a Mexican baseball legend. 

Vasquez won the Mexican Pacific League World Series four times with Culiacán, and his pitching performances during those postseason runs are largely credited for fueling the team’s success. He was so dominant that Mexican baseball fans call him “Rey de la postemporada” (“King of the postseason”). 

In the 2015 Mexican Pacific League World Series, Vasquez picked up a win in a decisive Game 5 victory, going five innings and giving up only three hits and two runs. He was crowned World Series MVP for his performance. 

Keithley recalled a time he was able to witness Vasquez’s greatness firsthand. 

“Back in January 2020, my wife and I were taking a trip to Cabo, and it was right during the Mexican League World Series,” Keithley said. “We go to the bar, and it’s ESPN Deportes, Game 7, and I’m sitting at the bar watching [Vasquez] take the mound.” 

In that fateful final game, Vasquez pitched six masterful innings and gave up no runs to bring Culiacán another title. It’s a night Keithley will never forget. 

“Watching him throw an absolute gem live and win the Mexican [League] World Series in Game 7 was the coolest thing ever,” Keithley said. 

Vasquez retired from baseball in 2022, his name forever etched in both baseball fame and infamy, depending on who you ask. 

But if you ask Vasquez, he had unequivocal success at what is most important to him: being true to himself. 

“Those qualities of being a good teammate, competing and being a guy the team could rely on to go five, six, seven innings every time I go out there … that kept me getting jobs throughout my career,” Vasquez said. 

In the end, Vasquez’s positive attitude defines his career so profoundly it almost feels like it was a part of his pitch arsenal. 

Life has thrown Anthony Vasquez a lot of curveballs, but it feels like he always has one to throw right back.