Mark Patrick Sweeney (born October 26, 1969) is an American former

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 (A ...

(MLB)

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

who played for several teams from 1995 to 2008. He is best known for his skill as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...

, where he ranks second in career pinch hits with 175 and first in career pinch hit

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

with 102.

Early life

Sweeney attended Holliston High School in

Holliston, Massachusetts Holliston is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Greater Boston area. The population was 14,996 at the 2020 census. It is located in MetroWest, a Massachusetts region that is west of Boston. Holliston i ...

and was a student and a letterman in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

. In baseball, he helped lead his team to the 1986 Massachusetts State Championship. He also led his football team as the quarterback to a state championship, winning the Tri-Valley League and a in 1985.

College career

Sweeney was signed to play

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

for the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...

in Orono. There, he decided to play

full-time. He went on to become a Golden Spikes Finalist, playing outfield, and breaking many of the school's offensive records. As a senior in 1991, he

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

.384 with 23

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 ...

s, 80 RBI and 22

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 o ...

s in 65 games; his strong season earned him the America East Player of the Year award. While at Maine, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for three seasons in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

(CCBL) with the Chatham A's (1988) and Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (1989-90). In 1989 and 1990, he led the Red Sox to back-to-back league championships, and was named the playoff MVP in 1989. He received the league's sportsmanship award in 1990, and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2018.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

Sweeney was drafted by the

California 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 ...

in the 9th round of the

1991 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1991 Major League Baseball draft. Supplemental first round selections Compensation picks Other notable players *Kevin Stocker, 2nd round, 54th overall by the Philadel ...

. He made his professional debut in with the

Boise Hawks The Boise Hawks are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium in Garden City, Idaho, a small city surroun ...

in Single-A, batting .282 in 70 games. With the Angels organization he played for the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, on ...

(), Palm Springs Angels (),

Midland Angels Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Naga ...

(1993-) and

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadiu ...

(1994-). On July 8, 1995, he was traded by the Angels 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 ...

for

John Habyan John Gabriel Habyan (born January 29, 1964) is a former professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, Habyan played all or parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball. Baseball career Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 3rd round ...

. After playing in 22 games for the Triple-A

Louisville Redbirds Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

his contract was purchased by the Cardinals on August 4.

MLB career

Sweeney made his major league debut on August 4, , as the starting first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

. He was hitless in four

at-bat 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 ...

s on his debut. He collected his first major league

the next day against Cubs starter

Jim Bullinger James Eric Bullinger (born August 21, 1965) is a former professional starting pitcher. He played for the Chicago Cubs (-), Montreal Expos () and Seattle Mariners () of Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. He is the brot ...

. He hit his first home run on August 10 against 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) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

Hideo Nomo is a Japanese former baseball pitcher who played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He achieved early success in his native country, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to . He then exploited a l ...

. He remained with the Cards until when he was traded to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

, along with

Danny Jackson Danny Lynn Jackson (born January 5, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1997. He played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirate ...

and Rich Batchelor, for

Fernando Valenzuela Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (, born November 1, 1960) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from to and to . While he played for six MLB teams, he is best remembered f ...

, Phil Plantier and Scott Livingstone. He went 2 for 3 as a pinch hitter for the Padres in the

1998 World Series The 1998 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1998 season. The 94th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the National ...

against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

, making the last out of the Series by grounding out to third base. After the season, he was traded by the Padres, along with

Greg Vaughn Gregory Lamont Vaughn (born July 3, 1965) is an American former baseball left fielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1989–1996), San Diego Padres (1996–1998), Cincinnati Reds (1999), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000–2002) and Colorado ...

, to 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 ...

for Josh Harris, Reggie Sanders, and Damian Jackson. Sweeney spent one season with the Reds organization, much of which was spent with the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opened ...

. The Reds traded him on January 14, , 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 ...

, along with Gene Altman, for

Alex Ochoa Alex Ochoa (; born March 29, 1972) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. Career Ochoa played in part of eight seasons for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwau ...

. He spent the next two seasons with the Brewers shuttling between the Majors and Triple-A while battling through an assortment of injuries and trips to 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 ...

. In , he was traded by the Brewers with Lou Collier,

Jeromy Burnitz Jeromy Neal Burnitz (born April 15, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player. Burnitz was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Mets (1993–94, 2002–03), Cleveland Indians (1995–96), Milwaukee B ...

, Jeff D'Amico, and cash 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 lea ...

for Glendon Rusch,

Lenny Harris Lenny or Lennie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Lenny (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lennie (surname), a list of people * Lenny (singer) (born 1993), Czech songwriter Arts and entertainment Music * ''L ...

, and

. He failed to make the Mets roster and was released. The

signed him as 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 i ...

a few days later. Had a poor season with the Padres, hitting just .169 in 48 games. Sweeney spent and with 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 Fi ...

, with the Padres, - 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 Yo ...

and 2007 and with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has played

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

, and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...

. In 1,218 career games, he is a lifetime .254 hitter, with 42 home runs, 250 runs batted in, and 16 stolen bases. According to the New York Daily News in a story that broke in January 2007,

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Gian ...

blamed a positive

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from alpha- methylphenethylamine) is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. It is also commonly used ...

test result during the 2006 season on a substance he took from Sweeney's locker. Sweeney's agent denied the claim that Bonds had gotten such a substance from Sweeney. Bonds would later clear Sweeney of any involvement in his positive amphetamine test. On July 27, 2007, against 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 fran ...

, he moved into a tie for 2nd place (150 hits) on the all-time pinch hits list with

Manny Mota Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo, more commonly known as Manny Mota (born February 18, 1938), is a Dominican former Major League Baseball outfielder who played 20 seasons for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos, as well a ...

with a pinch hit single. On July 29, 2007, he moved into sole possession of 2nd place behind Lenny Harris on the all-time pinch hits list with a game-tying, pinch hit double to deep right field in the 9th inning that scored Dave Roberts. On August 9, 2007, Sweeney was traded to the

for second baseman

Travis Denker Travis Norton Denker (born August 5, 1985) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants. Prior to playing professional baseball, Denker attended Brea Olinda High Sc ...

. The trade was the first between the Giants and the Dodgers since . He remained with the Dodgers, primarily as a pinch hitter through the 2008 season. In May 2008, Sweeney surrendered his jersey number, 22, to his rookie teammate Clayton Kershaw, and adopted #21. Unable to find a playing position as a free agent for 2009, Sweeney officially announced his retirement on March 6, 2009. He subsequently rejoined the Dodgers organization as an assistant coach.

Post-playing career

In 2012, Sweeney began working as a baseball correspondent and pregame

color analyst A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...

for Padres telecasts on Fox Sports San Diego. In the Fall of 2013, Sweeney's number 12 was retired by his alma mater, the

. In 2014, Sweeney started appearing on FOX and FOX Sports 1 as a studio analyst. Sweeney is married to fitness instructor Cindy Whitmarsh, with whom he has a son and two stepdaughters.

References

External links

*http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/sports/baseball/30record.html?ref=sports *https://web.archive.org/web/20070128223550/http://www.nypost.com/seven/01112007/sports/report__bonds_used_speed_sports_.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweeney, Mark 1969 births Living people All-American college baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American sports announcers Baseball players from Massachusetts Boise Hawks players Chatham Anglers players Cincinnati Reds players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Indianapolis Indians players Las Vegas 51s players Los Angeles Dodgers announcers Los Angeles Dodgers players Louisville Redbirds players Maine Black Bears baseball players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball outfielders Midland Angels players Milwaukee Brewers players Palm Springs Angels players People from Holliston, Massachusetts Portland Beavers players Quad Cities River Bandits players San Diego Padres announcers San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants players Sportspeople from Framingham, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts St. Louis Cardinals players Vancouver Canadians players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players