Peña made his Major League debut on August 13, 1981 (in time to be included on the roster for the 1981 National League Championship Series, although he did not appear in the 1981 World Series), and made his last appearance on April 13, 1996, while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1981–1989), New York Mets (1990–1991), Atlanta Braves (1991–1992; 1995), Pittsburgh Pirates (1994), Boston Red Sox (1995) and Florida Marlins (1995; 1996).