Giovanni Carrara Jiménez (born March 4, 1968 in El Tigre, Anzoátegui, Venezuela) is a former Italo-Venezuelan MLB pitcher who pitched for the Blue Jays, Reds, Rockies, Dodgers, and Mariners over a 10 year career from between 1995 & 2006. He established himself as a valuable middle relief man in MLB, as well as a solid starting pitcher in the Italian Baseball League.

Carrera initially struggled as a starting pitcher in the major leagues but later became an effective long reliever. He had a 90–92 MPH fastball, along with a couple of breaking balls, a deceptive slow curve, and particularly his off-speed pitch; a hard one that was somewhere between a slider and cut fastball. He controlled the running game as well, with a good move to both first base and second, and a quick delivery to the plate.

On August 15, 2001, Carrara combined with fellow Venezuelan pitchers Omar Daal, Kelvim Escobar, and Freddy García to win their respective starts: Carrara, of the Dodgers, facing Montreal, 13–1; Daal, in a Phillies victory over the Brewers, 8–6; Escobar, of the Blue Jays, over Oakland, 5–2, and García, of Seattle, against the Red Sox, 6–2. This marked the first time in major league history that four pitchers coming from Venezuela have recorded a winning game in their respective starts in the same day.

On May 4, 2007, Carrara was signed by the Caffè Danesi Nettuno of Serie A1 in Italy. In 2008, he was 8–2 with a 2.35 ERA and 49 strikeouts.

He was on the Italian national team in the 2007 European Championship, pitching 7 scoreless innings in a win. He struck out 8, walked none and allowed three hits. The Netherlands protested his presence but the Technical Commission rejected the complaint as the Venezuelan Federation and Venezuelan Olympic Committee had given permission for Carrara to play for Italy, and his birth certificate showed that he was an Italian citizen.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)