Luis Ignacio Ayala (born January 12, 1978 in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico) is a professional baseball pitcher who plays for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. He is 6'1" tall, weighs 200 lbs. and bats and throws right-handed.

In , as a 19 year old, Ayala started playing in the Mexican Baseball League as a relief pitcher. After a great season in , he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Colorado Rockies. He had two more great seasons in and . At the end of the season, he was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but two months later was selected from Arizona by the Montreal Expos as a Rule 5 pick.

Major Leagues

Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals

Ayala pitched well for the Expos/Nationals from through . Over the three years, he averaged 70 appearances per year, and compiled an ERA of 2.75, and led the National League with 62 holds. In he ranked eighth in appearances with 81.

He injured his elbow on the last pitch of a 2006 World Baseball Classic game. As a result, he underwent Tommy John surgery on March 30, . He missed the entire 2006 season, and was placed on the 60-day disabled list during the season. After working eight re-hab games in the minors, in which he allowed one run in 9-2/3 innings, on June 20, he was called up to the Nationals. He made his return to the mound on June 22, 2007, pitching 2/3 of an inning and giving up no runs and only one hit. For the season, he went 2-2 with 6 holds, one save, and a 3.19 ERA in 44 appearances.

New York Mets

On August 17, , Ayala was traded to the New York Mets for a player to be named later. Ayala had requested the trade weeks earlier because he wanted a change of scenery, due to personal problems. The Mets sent Anderson Hernandez to the Nats to complete the deal. On August 22, 2008, Ayala recorded his first save as a Met in a 3-0 victory over the Houston Astros.

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