Guillermo Mota
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Guillermo Reynoso Mota (born July 25, 1973) is a Dominican former
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...
relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...
in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
. In his career, he pitched for the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
,
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
,
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...
,
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
,
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
,
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
and
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
. Mota is tall and weighs . He throws and bats right-handed. He throws three pitches: a
fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...
, a
slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...
and a
circle changeup In baseball, a circle changeup (also called the "okay changeup", related to the thumb and index finger touching) is a pitch thrown with a grip that includes a circle formation, hence the name circle changeup. The circle is formed by making a ...
. Mota was originally signed by the New York Mets in 1990 as an
infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
. After several years in their organization, he was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the Rule 5 draft in 1996 and converted into a pitcher in 1997. Mota had a 2.96 ERA in 1999, his rookie season, but he struggled in his next two seasons and was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to 2002. His struggles continued in his first year with the Dodgers, but Mota had a career year in 2003, as he had a 6–3 record with a 1.97 ERA in 76 games. He became the setup man to closer
Éric Gagné Éric Serge Gagné (; born January 7, 1976) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After signing with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1995 ...
in 2004, but was traded to the Florida Marlins midseason. Mota started 2005 as their closer, but
Todd Jones Todd Barton Jones (born April 24, 1968) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an effective middle reliever for several teams and also filled the role of closer, most nota ...
took over the role when Mota got hurt in April. Following the year, Mota was traded to the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
. Before Mota ever played for the Red Sox, however, he was traded again to the Cleveland Indians. He struggled in his time with the Indians in 2006 and was
designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...
by them in August. The New York Mets acquired him, and Mota improved mightily upon joining them. Following the season, he became a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
, but he again signed with the Mets. After struggling in 2007, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He got off to a poor start with Milwaukee in 2008 but improved in the second half. Following the season, Mota became a free agent and signed with the Dodgers again. He had his best year since 2004 and became a free agent again after the season. For the first time in his career, in 2010 he signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. After making the team out of
spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
, Mota won his first career
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
despite struggling at times during the season. Following the season, he signed another minor league contract with the Giants and made the team out of spring training again. During the 2012 season, Mota became one of three players in league history to fail a drug test twice when it was shown he tested positive for
Clenbuterol Clenbuterol is a sympathomimetic amine used by sufferers of breathing disorders as a decongestant and bronchodilator. People with chronic breathing disorders such as asthma use this as a bronchodilator to make breathing easier. It is most commonl ...
, a performance-enhancing drug.


Early life

Mota was born on July 25, 1973, in
San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís is a city and Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality (''municipio'') in the Dominican Republic and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís Province, San Pedro de Macorís province in the east region of the ...
, in the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
. As a youth, he attended Jose Joaquin Perez High School. (Note: Click bio for information) After high school, he was signed by the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
on September 7, 1990, by scout Eddy Toledo.


Professional career


Minor leagues

After two years playing baseball in the Dominican Republic, Mota was assigned to the rookie-league
Gulf Coast League Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games ...
in 1993 as a
third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
. He had a
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of .249 with one
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
and one
stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
and amassed a .934
fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...
in 43
games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...
. The next season, he spent most of the year with the rookie-league
Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ...
of the
Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...
, although he went hitless in four
at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
in one game with the
St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...
of the single-A advanced
Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
. With Kingsport, he batted .245 while he
struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denote ...
78 times in 245 at-bats. In 1995, Mota was moved to the
shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
position and assigned to the
single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classif ...
Capital City Bombers Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...
of the
South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...
. With the Bombers, he batted .243 and struck out 127 times in 400 at-bats while committing 40 errors at shortstop. In 1996, he returned to the St. Lucie Mets, where he batted .234 with 90 strikeouts in 304 at-bats while committing 21 errors. Following the season, he was selected by the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
in the Rule 5 draft. The Expos converted Mota to a
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
in 1997 and assigned him to the
Cape Fear Crocs The Cape Fear Crocs were a minor league baseball team in Fayetteville, North Carolina. They were a low Class-A baseball team which played in the South Atlantic League, and were a farm team of the Montreal Expos for the franchise's entire tenu ...
of the South Atlantic League. Starting 23 of his 25 games for the Crocs, he had a 5–10 record with a 4.36
earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) and 112 strikeouts in 126
innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...
. In 1998, the Expos moved Mota to the
bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...
, and he began the season with the single-A advanced
Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter, Florida, Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home game ...
of the Florida State League. He posted a 3–2 record with a 0.66 ERA and two saves in 20 games and was promoted to the
Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...
of the double-A Eastern League during the season. With the Senators, he had a 2–0 record with a 1.06 ERA and four saves in 12 games. Mota began the 1999 season with the
Ottawa Lynx The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal ...
of the triple-A
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
. With the Lynx, he had a 2–0 record with a 1.89 ERA and five saves in 14 games.


Montreal Expos (1999–2001)


1999

Mota was called up to the Expos on May 2 to replace relief pitcher
Shayne Bennett Shayne Anthony Bennett (born 10 April 1972) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for North Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), and was a right-handed baseball pitcher, who last played in Major Leag ...
, who had been demoted to Ottawa after struggling in his first four games. Mota made his major league debut the same day, pitching a scoreless
inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...
in an 8–7
loss Loss may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Loss'' (Bass Communion album) (2006) * ''Loss'' (Mull Historical Society album) (2001) *"Loss", a song by God Is an Astronaut from their self-titled album (2008) * Losses "(Lil Tjay son ...
to the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
. He got his first major league decision on May 11, when, after pitching scoreless innings, he gave up a
walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will no ...
in the tenth inning to Luis Gonzalez in a 4–3 loss to the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
. On June 1, he won his first major league game, also against Arizona after pitching three scoreless innings in the Expos' 10–8 victory on June 1. On June 9, he hit a three-run home run in his first major league at bat (against
Mark Guthrie Mark Andrew Guthrie (born September 22, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for several teams between 1989 and 2003 and was a member of the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins. Career After graduating from ...
) in a 13–1 victory over the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
. On August 29, he allowed one run in one inning and was the winning pitcher in an 8–6 victory over the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
. The win (the Expos' eighteenth in August) set a new Expos' record for wins in a month. Mota had a 1.49 ERA over his first 32 games of the year, but a 15.00 ERA over his next six games brought his ERA for the season to 3.40. However, he collected a 1.38 ERA over his final 12 games to bring his ERA for the season down to 2.93, and he finished the year with a 2–4 record in 51 games.


2000

The Expos sent Mota to Ottawa to begin the 2000 season. However, he was called up to the Expos on May 20, and in his first game of the season with them, he gave up one run in one inning in an 8–7 victory over the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
. On June 11, he was the losing pitcher when he pitched inning and gave up two runs in an 8–3 loss to the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. He was returned to Ottawa on June 17 after posting a 12.60 ERA in his first 12 games with the Expos. Mota was recalled at the end of the month, but after appearing in one game (on July 1), he was returned to the Lynx. However, he was recalled on July 19 after
Tony Armas Jr. Antonio José Armas (born April 29, 1978), better known as Tony Armas Jr., is a Venezuelan former professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He spent most of his active career with the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals of Major League Basebal ...
was placed on the
disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
. Mota was returned to the minor leagues on July 27 when
Hideki Irabu was a Japanese professional baseball player of American and Japanese mixed ancestry. He played professionally in both Japan and the United States. Irabu played for the Lotte Orions / Chiba Lotte Marines and Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professiona ...
returned from the disabled list, but he was recalled soon after. However, Mota appeared in only one game before he was again returned to the minors, and he did not return to the Expos again until the beginning of September. At this point, he had a 9.98 ERA through 17 games. On September 11, in the second game of a doubleheader against the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
, he got his only win of the year by pitching one-third of an inning in a 7–6 victory. He had a 1.84 ERA over his final 12 games to finish the year with a 1–1 record and a 6.00 ERA in 29 games. With Ottawa, he had a 4–5 record with a 2.29 ERA and seven saves in 35 games.


2001

In 2001, Mota made the Expos out of spring training for the first time in his career. On May 12, he had a 1.59 ERA through his first 20 games of the year. However, eight earned runs allowed over his next six games raised his ERA to 4.00. Afterwards, though, he had a 2.08 ERA through his next 12 games. On June 17, he was the winning pitcher when he threw a scoreless inning in a 4–1 victory over Toronto. In his next game, on June 19, he was the losing pitcher when he gave up three runs (only one run was earned) without recording an out in a 4–1 loss to the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
. However, after that 12-game stretch, he gave up five earned runs over his next four games to bring his ERA up to 4.29. On July 13, he was placed on the
disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
for the first time in his career with right shoulder tendinitis. Mota returned at the beginning of September, but he had a 10.57 ERA and two losses in his final 11 games of the year. He finished the season with a 1–3 record and a 5.26 ERA in 53 games.


Los Angeles Dodgers (2002–2004)


2002

Mota began spring training with the Expos in 2002, but was traded to the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
with
outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
Wilkin Ruan Wilkin Chal Ruan (born September 18, 1978) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Career Known primarily for his speed, Ruan was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Expos on November 15, . He hit .348 with 33 stolen bases fo ...
for pitcher
Matt Herges Matthew Tyler Herges (born April 1, 1970) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1999 to 2009, and is the former pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Herges played in ML ...
and infielder Jorge Nunez on March 23. He failed to make the Dodgers' major league club in spring training and was assigned to the Las Vegas 51s of the triple-A
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
to begin the season. He was called up on April 20 when
Kevin Brown Kevin Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Kevin Brown (blues musician) (born 1950), English blues guitarist * Kevin Brown (author) (born 1960), American journalist and translator * Kevin Brown (poet) (born 1970), American poet and teacher * Kevin ...
was placed on the disabled list. After appearing in two games, he was returned to Las Vegas on April 30 when Brown came off the disabled list. On May 17, he was called up a second time. In 22 games through July 14, he had a 2.43 ERA. On June 3, he pitched a scoreless inning and earned the win in an 11–5 victory over the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
. However, he was returned to Las Vegas on July 28 after he had a loss and a 13.50 ERA over his next seven games. He did not return to the Dodgers until August 26, when
Kevin Beirne Kevin Patrick Beirne (born January 1, 1974) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He is the son of Jim Beirne, who played with the Houston Oilers and San Diego Chargers of the NFL from 1968 to 1976. Career Beirne was a star outfielder an ...
was demoted to the minors. That same day, he was the losing pitcher when he gave up three runs (two earned) in his third inning of work in a 12-inning 6–3 loss to Arizona. He was the losing pitcher again on September 13 when he gave up three runs in the seventh inning and blew a 4–2 lead over Colorado. He posted a 3.92 ERA over his final 14 games of the year to finish with a 1–3 record and a 4.15 ERA in 43 games. With the 51s, he had a 1–3 record with a 2.95 ERA in 20 games.


Conflict with Mike Piazza

On March 28, 2002, Mota hit
Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007. He currently serves as the manager of the Italian national baseball tea ...
, catcher for the Mets at the time, with a pitch in a spring training game against the Mets. After Mota was removed from the game, Piazza grabbed him by the neck and had to be separated from Mota by other players. Piazza received a $3,000 fine for his actions. Next season, in a spring training game against the Mets on March 12, Mota hit Piazza with a pitch. Piazza charged the mound, starting a brawl, and both players were ejected from the game. After the game, Piazza entered the Dodgers' clubhouse looking for Mota. Informed that Mota had left, Piazza searched the clubhouse before leaving. Mota said that hitting Piazza was not intentional, but both he and Piazza were suspended five games in the regular season and fined—Mota $1,500 and Piazza $3,000. Mota's suspension was later reduced to four games.


2003

In 2003, Mota earned a roster spot with the Dodgers after spring training. From May 1 to May 27, he pitched consecutive scoreless innings. On May 23, against the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
, he got his first save when he pitched three scoreless innings in a 6–4 victory. Manager Jim Tracy used him to get the save because he wanted to rest closer
Éric Gagné Éric Serge Gagné (; born January 7, 1976) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After signing with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1995 ...
. On May 29, Mota struck out six batters in three innings in a 12–5 loss to Colorado. From June 11 through July 17, he threw consecutive scoreless innings. On July 13, he hit his second career home run (against
Joe Roa Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...
) in a 9–3 victory over Colorado. In August, he had a 2–0 record with a 0.44 ERA in 21 games. Mota finished the season with a 6–3 record and a 1.97 ERA in 76 games, and his 105 innings pitched were the most by a Dodger reliever since 1985, when Tom Niedenfuer threw . His 105 innings pitched led National League (NL) relief pitchers and were just two shy of American League leader Steve Sparks. Mota, Gagné, Tom Martin, and
Paul Quantrill Paul John Quantrill (born November 3, 1968) is a Canadian former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons, from 1992 to 2005; his longest tenure was six seasons with the Toronto B ...
were the first relief pitcher teammates to appear in at least 76 games in a season. His
opponent batting average In baseball statistics, batting average against (denoted by BAA or AVG), also known as opponents' batting average (denoted by OBA), is a statistic that measures a pitcher's ability to prevent hits during official at bats. It can alternatively b ...
of .205 ranked tenth among NL relievers, and left-handers' .181 average against him ranked fourth in the NL.


2004

After Quantrill became a free agent, Mota became the
setup man In baseball, a setup man (or set-up man, also sometimes referred to as a setup pitcher or setup reliever) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth. A ...
for Gagné in 2004. He started the season with eight straight scoreless games. From June 27 to July 16, he did not allow a run in 10 straight games. On July 29, he started a career-high five-game winning streak when he got a win by pitching two scoreless innings in a 2–1 victory over the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
. He was the winning pitcher when he pitched two scoreless innings in an 8–5 victory over the
Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
on July 3 in a game notable for Gagné getting the final save of his 84 straight converted save chances. On July 30, a day before the
trade deadline In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft p ...
, Mota had a 2.14 ERA in 52 games. That day, he was traded to the
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...
with
Juan Encarnación Juan De Dios Encarnación (born March 8, 1976) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1997 to 2007 for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dod ...
and
Paul Lo Duca Paul Anthony Lo Duca (born April 12, 1972) is an American retired professional baseball player and television personality. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers (–), Florida Marlins (2004–, ), New York ...
for
Hee-seop Choi Hee-seop Choi (; Hangul: 최희섭; Hanja: 崔熙燮; ; born March 16, 1979) is a South Korean former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, and Los Angeles Dodgers ...
,
Brad Penny Bradley Wayne Penny (born May 24, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Penny played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida / Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardi ...
, and Bill Murphy.


Florida Marlins (2004–2005)

Upon joining the Marlins, Mota was named the closer because
Armando Benítez Armando Benítez (born November 3, 1972) is a Dominican former major league relief pitcher. Benítez debuted with the Baltimore Orioles in 1994 and within a few years became their closer. He was a reliever for several other organizations after Ba ...
, the Marlins' closer, was injured. On August 5, he entered a game in the eighth inning with the Marlins leading 7–5 and got his first save as a Marlin in an 11–5 victory over Arizona. However, that was his only save opportunity before he was returned to the setup role because of the return of Benítez from the disabled list. Mota had a 4.81 ERA in 26 games with the Marlins, although it would have been only 3.06 if he had not given up seven runs in his final two games of the year. He finished the season with a 9–8 record and a 3.07 ERA in 78 games. His nine wins were tied with
Ryan Madson Ryan Michael Madson (born August 28, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles D ...
for second in the NL by a relief pitcher, and his innings pitched led NL relievers. His opponent batting average of .196 was fifth-best among NL relievers. In 2005, Mota was named the Marlins' closer in spring training since Benítez became a free agent following the 2004 season. He did not get a save opportunity until April 22, which he converted in a 4–2 win over Cincinnati. He got his second save of the year the next day in another 4–2 win over Cincinnati. However, he was placed on the disabled list on May 1 (retroactive to April 24) with inflammation in his right elbow. He was activated on May 27, but
Todd Jones Todd Barton Jones (born April 24, 1968) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an effective middle reliever for several teams and also filled the role of closer, most nota ...
, who had been filling in for Mota, remained the closer. Mota had a 1.69 ERA through his first 11 games, but 12 earned runs allowed over his next seven games raised his ERA to 7.27. On June 24, he was the winning pitcher in the Marlins' 7–4 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He got his only other win of the year on August 30, when he gave up a run in two innings in a 7–6 victory over St. Louis. Mota posted a 3.81 ERA over his final 38 games to finish the season 2–2 with a 4.70 ERA in 56 games. On November 24, Mota was traded with Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
for four prospects: Jesús Delgado, Harvey García, Hanley Ramírez, and Aníbal Sánchez.


Cleveland Indians (2006)

Mota never played a game with the Red Sox, as of January 27, 2006, he was traded to the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
with Andy Marte, Kelly Shoppach, a player to be named later (eventually Randy Newsom), and cash considerations for Coco Crisp, David Riske, and Josh Bard. The trade was postponed slightly because Mota failed to pass a physical, so the Indians put him on a conditioning program before spring training. However, he was still expected to be the setup man for closer Bob Wickman. He started the season well, as he did not allow an earned run in his first seven games. However, he struggled after that, and he lost the setup role to Rafael Betancourt in May. Over his next 27 games, Mota had a 7.89 ERA, and opponents batted .314 against him. On August 11, he was designated for assignment after he had a 1–3 record with a 6.21 ERA in 34 games. On August 20, he was traded to the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
with cash for a player to be named later. To date, his time with the Indians was his only stint in the American League.


New York Mets (2006–2007)

On September 1, Mota was the winning pitcher when he pitched a scoreless inning in an 8–7 victory over Houston. He got another win by pitching a scoreless inning on September 12 in a 6–4 victory over Florida. With the Mets, he had a 3–0 record with a 1.00 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 18 games to finish the season 4–3 with a 4.53 ERA in 52 games. He made the playoffs for the first time in his career as the Mets won the National League East, NL East. In the first game of the 2006 National League Division Series against the Dodgers, Mota was the winning pitcher when he pitched two innings, although he blew a 4–1 lead by giving up three runs and allowing the Dodgers to tie the game. Mota pitched two scoreless innings in the Mets' series-winning 9–5 victory over the Dodgers in Game 3. In the 2006 National League Championship Series, Mota appeared in five of the seven games in the series. He blew a lead in an eventual Game 2 loss, but he did not give up a run in the other four games as the Mets lost to St. Louis in seven games. On October 30, he filed for free agency. On November 1, 2006, Mota became the fifteenth List of Major League Baseball players suspended for performance-enhancing drugs, MLB player to be suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs (and the first to be suspended for fifty games) when he was suspended for the first fifty games of 2007. However, the Mets re-signed him to a two-year, $5 million contract on December 7. After spending two weeks in the minors, Mota rejoined the Mets on May 30, 2007. He struggled in his first 16 games, collecting a 7.71 ERA in them. In his next 15 games, however, he amassed a 1.89 ERA. During those games, on August 3, he was the winning pitcher when he threw a scoreless inning in a 6–2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. He struggled after that, though, as he had a 7.48 ERA over his final 21 games of the season. On August 28, he was the losing pitcher when he gave up a walk-off home run to Ryan Howard in the 10th inning of a 4–2 loss to Philadelphia. He earned the win on September 12 in a 4–3 victory over the Atlanta Braves despite losing a two-run lead in the eighth inning. His final decision of the season came on September 16, when he gave up three runs without recording an out in a 10–6 loss to Philadelphia. Mota finished the season with a 2–2 record and a 5.76 ERA in 52 games. On November 20, he was traded to the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
for Johnny Estrada.


Milwaukee Brewers (2008)

Mota started the 2008 season with a 2.20 ERA in his first 15 games. On May 11, Brewers manager Ned Yost removed Gagné from the closer's role and decided to use different pitchers in save opportunities. The next day, Mota got his first save since 2005 in an 8–3 victory over St. Louis. However, that was his only save of the season, and Salomón Torres took over the closer's role. Mota began to struggle after the save, as he had a 9.00 ERA over his next 19 games to bring his ERA to 5.77 at the All-Star break. However, he began pitching better after the All-Star break as he posted a 1.59 ERA in his final 24 games of the season. On August 24, Mota was the winning pitcher in a 4–3 victory over Pittsburgh when he entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs and did not allow a run to score in one inning of work. He finished the season with a 5–6 record and a 4.11 ERA in 58 games, and he returned to the playoffs as the Brewers made the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. In the first game of the 2008 National League Division Series, he pitched a scoreless inning in a 3–1 loss to Philadelphia. His only other appearance of the playoffs that year came in Game 4 (the final game of the series) when he allowed a solo home run to Pat Burrell in the final innings of a 6–2 loss. On November 3, Mota filed for free agency.


Second stint with the Dodgers (2009)

On January 13, 2009, Mota returned to the Dodgers upon signing a one-year contract. His second stint with the Dodgers got off to a bad start, as he posted a 9.00 ERA in his first 15 games of the season. However, his statistics improved when he compiled a 0.26 ERA over his next 29 games to lower his season ERA to 2.92. From June 24 through July 29, Mota gave up no runs in 17 games ( consecutive innings pitched). However, he had a 4.97 ERA over his next 13 games. On August 4, in a 17–4 victory over Milwaukee, Mota was ejected after he hit Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder with a pitch (in retaliation for Chris Smith (pitcher, born 1981), Chris Smith hitting Manny Ramirez a few innings earlier, according to Dodgers catcher Russell Martin (baseball), Russell Martin). After the game, Fielder attempted to gain entry into the Dodgers' clubhouse to confront Mota but was stopped by teammates. Both Mota and Fielder were fined by Major League Baseball for their actions. On August 31, Mota was placed on the disabled list with an ingrown toenail to make room for Ronnie Belliard on the roster. He was reactivated on September 14. However, after posting a 5.40 ERA in his final four games of the year, he was left off the Dodgers' playoff roster. He finished the season with a 3–4 record and a 3.44 ERA (his lowest since 2004) in 61 games. On November 6, he filed for free agency.


San Francisco Giants (2010–2012)

On February 2, 2010, Mota signed a minor league contract with the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
with an invitation to spring training, marking the first time he was a non-roster invitee. On April 4, he was placed in the final spot in the Giants' bullpen. He started his tenure with the Giants with nine consecutive scoreless outings. On May 5, he got his only save of 2010 in a 9–6 victory over Florida. Mota took over the setup role in May, but lost it after allowing five runs and losing one of three games from June 10 to 13. He compiled a 1.27 ERA over his first 23 games, but a 7.48 ERA over his next 28 games raised his ERA to 4.78. On July 4, he intentionally walked four batters in innings (due to runners reaching third base with nobody out in the 14th and 15th innings) and was the losing pitcher when he allowed a run in the 15th inning of a 4–3 loss to Colorado. On August 23, he was placed on the disabled list with iliotibial band syndrome to make room for Cody Ross on the Giants' roster. He returned to the Giants on September 6. Mota did not give up an earned run in his final five appearances of the season to finish the year with a 1–3 record and a 4.33 ERA in 56 games, and he made the Giants' playoff roster as they won the National League West, NL West. However, he was not used until Game 2 of the 2010 World Series, when he pitched a scoreless ninth inning in a 9–0 victory over the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. His only other postseason appearance came when he pitched scoreless innings in a 4–2 loss in Game 3. However, Mota won his first World Series when the Giants defeated Texas 4 games to 1 in the series. After the series, he filed for free agency. On December 19, Mota signed another minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Giants. He won one of the final two spots in the Giants' bullpen on March 30, 2011. On April 16, after Giants' starter Barry Zito was injured in the second inning, Mota pitched a career-high innings, giving up one run and earning the win in a 5–3 victory over Arizona. On May 7, 2012, MLB announced that they were suspending Mota for 100 games due to his testing positive for
Clenbuterol Clenbuterol is a sympathomimetic amine used by sufferers of breathing disorders as a decongestant and bronchodilator. People with chronic breathing disorders such as asthma use this as a bronchodilator to make breathing easier. It is most commonl ...
, a performance-enhancing substance. This was his second suspension as he had previously been suspended for 50 games in 2006.


Kansas City Royals

Mota signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals on January 16, 2014. However, he announced his retirement on March 2, 2014.


Pitching style

Mota had three different kinds of pitches: a
fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...
, a
slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...
, and a
circle changeup In baseball, a circle changeup (also called the "okay changeup", related to the thumb and index finger touching) is a pitch thrown with a grip that includes a circle formation, hence the name circle changeup. The circle is formed by making a ...
, and occasionally he mixed in a Split-finger fastball, splitter and a curveball. Because of a record of wildness with his fastball, his slider became his out pitch.


See also

* List of doping cases in sport * List of players with a home run in first major league at bat


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mota, Guillermo 1973 births Living people Arizona League Giants players Cape Fear Crocs players Capital City Bombers players Cleveland Indians players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases Florida Marlins players Fresno Grizzlies players Gulf Coast Mets players Harrisburg Senators players Jupiter Hammerheads players Kingsport Mets players Las Vegas 51s players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Milwaukee Brewers players Montreal Expos players New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Mets players Ottawa Lynx players Sportspeople from San Pedro de Macorís San Francisco Giants players St. Lucie Mets players