2005

Geremi Gonzalez was born on January 8, 1975, in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

The Cubs signed him as a non-draft amateur free agent at age 16, and he was a highly touted young arm in the Cubs system. He made his debut in 1997, posting a record of 11–9 and finishing ninth in voting for the National League "Rookie of the Year" Award. He pitched for the Cubs in 1998, then pitched in the minor leagues for nearly five years between three surgeries and a variety of injuries.

In 2003, he ended up being the Tampa Bay Rays' most consistent pitcher, despite his 6-11 record. He allowed three runs or fewer in 17 starts, but received the lowest run support of any  AL East starter (3.91 runs per game). He finished with a 3.91  earned run average and 97  in 156 innings.

Early in the 2005 season, he started three games for the Boston Red Sox, going 1–1 with a 6.65 ERA. The Red Sox optioned him to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox in late May 2005, then recalled him to the major league club in early July, to try to fill a hole in the back end of their rotation.

In 2006, Geremi started three games for the New York Mets but performed poorly and was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He started five games for the Toronto Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs, in 2007, before being released.

In a six-season majors career, he posted a 30–35 record with 354 strikeouts and a 4.93 ERA in 131 appearances, including 83 , four complete games, two shutouts, and 572 2/3 innings pitched

Following a short stint for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan’s Nippon Professional League in 2007, Geremi returned to Venezuela. where he died after being struck by lightning on May 25, 2008, in Zulia, Venezuela. He was 33 years old.