{{short description|Cuban baseball player (born 1974)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} {{family name hatnote|Pestano|Valdés|lang=Spanish}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name = Ariel Pestano |image = |image_size = |caption = |position = Catcher |bats = Right |throws = Right |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1974|1|31|df=yes}} |birth_place = Caibarién, Las Villas, Cuba |debutleague = Cuba |debutdate = |debutyear = 1991 |debutteam = Naranjas de Villa Clara |finalleague = Cuba |finaldate = |finalyear = 2014 |finalteam = Naranjas de Villa Clara |statleague = Cuba |stat1label = Batting average |stat1value = .292 |stat2label = Hits |stat2value = 1,262 |stat3label = Home runs |stat3value = 126 |stat4label = Runs batted in |stat4value = 753 |teams= * Naranjas de Villa Clara (1992–2016) |show-medals = no |medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's baseball }} {{MedalCountry | {{CUB}} }} {{MedalCompetition | World Baseball Classic }} {{MedalSilver | 2006 San Diego | Team }} {{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games }} {{MedalGold | 2004 Athens | Team }} {{MedalSilver | 2000 Sydney | Team }} {{MedalSilver | 2008 Beijing | Team }} {{MedalCompetition | Baseball World Cup }} {{MedalGold | 2001 Taipei | Team }} {{MedalGold | 2003 Havana | Team }} {{MedalGold | 2005 Rotterdam | Team }} {{MedalSilver | 2007 Taipei | Team }} {{MedalSilver | 2009 Nettuno | Team }} {{MedalCompetition | Intercontinental Cup }} {{MedalSilver | 1999 Sydney | Team }} {{MedalGold | 2002 Havana | Team }} {{MedalGold | 2006 Taichung | Team }} {{MedalGold | 2010 Taichung | Team }} {{MedalCompetition | Pan American Games }} {{MedalGold | 1999 Winnipeg | Team }} {{MedalGold | 2003 Santo Domingo | Team }} {{MedalGold | 2007 Rio de Janeiro | Team }} {{MedalBronze | 2011 Guadalajara | Team }} {{MedalCompetition | Central American and Caribbean Games }} {{MedalGold | 2006 Cartagena | Team }} }}
'''Ariel Osvaldo Pestano Valdés''' (born 31 January 1974), better known as ''El Veterano'' ("The Veteran"), is a Cuban former baseball catcher. He has won both silver and gold medals in the Olympic Games<ref name=":0">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pe/ariel-pestano-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417045940/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pe/ariel-pestano-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-04-17}}</ref> and also played catcher on Cuba's World Baseball Classic team in March 2006 and March 2009. In Cuba, Pestano plays with the Villa Clara Naranjas of the Cuban National Series.
==Personal life== Pestano was born on 31 January 1974 in Caibarién, in Las Villas (current Villa Clara Province).<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Reliquia cubana detrás del plato|url=https://www.laestrella.com.pa/deportes/plato-detras-cubana-reliquia-OALE189456|website=La Estrella de Panamá|date=7 October 2011|access-date=19 March 2026|language=es}}</ref>
He retired after the 2015–16 Cuban National Series season.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ariel Pestano dice adiós a la Serie Nacional de Béisbol|url=http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2016/09/10/ariel-pestano-dice-adios-a-la-serie-nacional-de-beisbol/|website=Cubadebate|date=10 September 2016|access-date=19 March 2026|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Aliet|last=Arzola Lima|title=Caibarién se rinde a Pestano|url=https://www.granma.cu/deportes/2016-09-18/caibarien-se-rinde-a-pestano-18-09-2016-22-09-46|website=Granma|date=18 September 2016|access-date=19 March 2026|language=es}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.beisbolcubano.cu/estadisticas/Jugador?idJugador=3239 Cuban Baseball profile]
{{Cuba roster 2003 Baseball World Cup}} {{Cuba 2006 World Baseball Classic roster}} {{Cuba baseball roster 2007 Pan American Games}} {{Cuba 2009 World Baseball Classic roster}} {{Cuba roster 2011 Baseball World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pestano, Ariel}} Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Olympic baseball players for Cuba Category:Olympic gold medalists for Cuba Category:Olympic silver medalists for Cuba Category:Olympic medalists in baseball Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Baseball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Baseball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for Cuba Category:Baseball players at the 1999 Pan American Games Category:Baseball players at the 2003 Pan American Games Category:Baseball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Category:Baseball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Category:2003 Baseball World Cup players Category:2005 Baseball World Cup players Category:2006 World Baseball Classic players Category:2009 World Baseball Classic players Category:Pan American Games gold medalists in baseball Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists in baseball Category:Pan American Games baseball players for Cuba Category:Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba Category:Competitors at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Category:Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball Category:Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Category:Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games Category:Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games Category:Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Category:World Baseball Classic players of Cuba Category:Baseball players from Caibarién
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