{{Short description|American baseball player (1943–2001)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=John Noriega |position=Pitcher |image=John Noriega.jpg |caption= |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date|1943|12|20}} |birth_place=Ogden, Utah, U.S. |death_date={{death date and age|2001|9|29|1943|12|20}} |death_place=Bountiful, Utah, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=May 1 |debutyear=1969 |debutteam=Cincinnati Reds |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=August 9 |finalyear=1970 |finalteam=Cincinnati Reds |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Win–loss record |stat1value=0–0 |stat2label=Earned run average |stat2value=7.36 |stat3label=Innings pitched |stat3value={{frac|25|2|3}} |stat4label=Strikeouts |stat4value=10 |teams= *Cincinnati Reds (1969–1970)}}'''John Alan Noriega''' (December 20, 1943 – September 29, 2001) was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who played in 13 Major League Baseball games for the {{baseball year|1969}}–{{baseball year|1970}} Cincinnati Reds. Born in Ogden, Utah, he stood {{convert|6|ft|4|in}} tall and weighed {{convert|185|lb}}.
Noriega was born in Ogden, Utah to John (Jack) Noriega and Marion (Evertson) Noriega. He graduated from Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah, where he was an all-state pitcher and in basketball was a member of the 1961 state title-winning team.
He received scholarship offers from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, which is where he went. He married Barbara Tidwell on October 1, 1965.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/noriejo01.shtml|title=John Noriega Stats}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/884415/Obituary-John-Noriega.html?pg=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065538/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/884415/Obituary-John-Noriega.html?pg=all|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 4, 2016|title=Obituary: John Noriega|date=October 2001}}</ref>
Selected by the Reds out of the University of Utah in the fourth round of the 1966 Major League Baseball draft (62nd overall),<ref>[http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/utes-in-the-draft.html University of Utah official site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018071612/http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/utes-in-the-draft.html |date=2011-10-18 }}</ref> Noriega's Major League career (all as a relief pitcher) came in two bursts: five games in May 1969 and four games each in July and August 1970. During the latter season, the first year of the Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" dynasty, Noriega was primarily used in middle relief during the midsummer.<ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1970/Knorij1010021970.htm Retrosheet]</ref> In one notable appearance, on August 6 against the San Francisco Giants, he threw {{frac|6|2|3}} innings of long relief, allowing only two runs.<ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1970/B08060SFN1970.htm 1970-8-6 box score from Retrosheet]</ref> His MLB season and career ended three days later, and he was not on the Reds' 1970 postseason squad. All told, he allowed 37 hits and 13 bases on balls with 10 strikeouts in {{frac|25|2|3}} MLB innings.
Noriega's career in minor league baseball lasted for six seasons (1966–1971) and 229 games played.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=norieg001joh Minor league statistics from Baseball Reference]</ref>
After baseball, he worked for 25 years as a recreation therapist for Davis County Mental Health. In 1998 he founded the nonprofit organization HITE (High Impact Teaching Empowerment).
John Noriega died of a stroke at age 57 on September 29, 2001, in Layton, Utah. He was survived by his wife of 36 years, Barbara; sons John and David; daughter Kari; son-in-law Brandon Hatch; daughters-in-law Heidi and Sharlena; and six grandchildren (and one was on the way). He is buried in Kaysville.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/noriejo01.shtml|title=John Noriega Stats}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/884415/Obituary-John-Noriega.html?pg=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065538/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/884415/Obituary-John-Noriega.html?pg=all|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 4, 2016|title=Obituary: John Noriega|date=October 2001}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats|br=n/noriejo01|brm=}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/N/Pnorij101.htm Retrosheet]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noriega, John}} Category:1943 births Category:2001 deaths Category:Águilas del Zulia players Category:Baseball players from Utah Category:Cincinnati Reds players Category:Eugene Emeralds players Category:Florida Instructional League Astros/Reds players Category:Florida Instructional League Reds players Category:Indianapolis Indians players Category:Knoxville Smokies players Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Sportspeople from Ogden, Utah Category:Portland Beavers players Category:Tigres de Aragua players Category:American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Category:University of Utah alumni Category:Utah Utes baseball players Category:Sportspeople from Davis County, Utah Category:20th-century American sportsmen