González was born in Maracaibo, Zulia State. The Cubs signed him as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1991, 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\'s Rookie of the Year Award. He also pitched for the Cubs in 1998, then pitched in the minor leagues for nearly five years between three surgeries and a variety of injuries.\n', '

In 2003, he was rewarded by Tampa Bay with the Out of Nowhere Award. González ended up being the 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 strikeouts in 156 innings.\n', '

Early in the 2005 season, González started three games for the Boston Red Sox, going 1–1 with a 6.65 ERA. Boston 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 bullpen. He appeared in Game 1 of the AL Division Series, a 14–2 loss to the Chicago White Sox, and allowed four runs in 2⅓ innings, including a three-run home run by Scott Podsednik.\n', '

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