Born in Ciudad Darío, Nicaragua, Altamirano first became successful in his native country in the 1970s when he pitched for the Estelí team in the Nicaraguan National League, where he broke many records. He also shut out the powerful Cuban national team in a tournament in Colombia in 1976 beating them 5–0 and also shut out the USA team 4–0 in 1977 on a tournament played in Nicaragua, attaining status as one Nicaragua\'s best amateur pitchers.\n', '

Although not equipped with an overpowering arm, Altamirano had an 87–92 MPH fastball and mixed in a slider and an occasional curveball. He was an ideal reliever for a bullpen-by-committee because he was able to pitch two or three innings at a time, setting the table for a variety of teammates, from Sparky Lyle to Tug McGraw to Lee Smith.\n', '

He made his major league debut on May 9, 1982 and played in 60 games over two seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies. Just before the 1984 season, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs with Bob Dernier and Gary Matthews in exchange for Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz. In his three-year MLB career, Altamirano compiled a 7–4 record with 57 strikeouts, a 4.03 ERA, two saves, and 91.2 innings, in 65 games pitched.\n', '

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