Mario Mendoza Aizpuru (born 26 December 1950) is a Mexican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

who is currently the manager of

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serapes) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (1980, 2009 ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. Mendoza, a lifetime .215 hitter, is best known for being the source of the name for the threshold for batting ineptitude, the "

Mendoza Line The Mendoza Line is baseball jargon for a .200 batting average, the supposed threshold for offensive futility in Major League Baseball. It derives from light-hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza, who failed to reach .200 five times in his nine big l ...

", meaning a batting average of .200. Mendoza managed in the minor leagues and in Mexico after his nine-year

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) playing career. He is a member of the

Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame The Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in English, Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame), commonly called the Salón de la Fama (Hall of Fame) is a baseball hall of fame and museum located in Monterrey, Nuevo León, inaugurated on 10 ...

Playing career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Mendoza first caught the eye of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

while playing for the Mexico City Diablos Rojos of the

in 1970. His ability for picking grounders prompted the Pirates to purchase Mendoza's contract from Mexico City. Mendoza played four seasons in the Pirates' farm system before debuting with the Pirates on April 26, 1974, as a

pinch runner In baseball or softball, a pinch runner is a player substituted into a game for the purpose of base running. Description A pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been s ...

for

Willie Stargell Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1962– 1982 ...

. With the Pirates down 3–2 in the ninth

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 tea ...

to the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

, Mendoza scored the tying

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

in the Pirates' 4–3 victory. For the season, Mendoza batted .221 in 91 games, but had only 177 plate appearances as he was primarily a defensive replacement when starting Pirates

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

Frank Taveras (who himself only had a .246

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 ...

in 1974) had been pinch hit for late in a game. He reached the postseason for the only time in his career during his rookie season. He started game three of the

1974 National League Championship Series The 1974 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five series in Major League Baseball’s 1974 postseason that matched the East Division champion Pittsburgh Pirates against the West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers. It was the six ...

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, and went one for three with a

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and an RBI infield single. On June 28, 1977, Mendoza pitched two innings of mop up duty in the second game of a doubleheader against 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. The Pirates, having used seven

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

s in a doubleheader with the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

two days earlier, had already used three pitchers in the first-game 6–1 loss. Completely depleted of pitchers, Pirates manager

Chuck Tanner Charles William Tanner (July 4, 1928February 11, 2011) was an American professional baseball player and manager. A left fielder and pinch hitter who appeared in 396 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1955 and 1962, he was known for his ...

started

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

Grant Jackson in the second game, pitching six innings despite giving up ten runs (only six of which were earned), and the Pirates were already down 10–3 by the time Mendoza was handed the ball. After getting

Keith Hernandez Keith Hernandez (born October 20, 1953) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Cleveland Indians. Hernandez was a five-time Major League ...

to line into a

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Le ...

to end his first inning of work, Mendoza gave up a three-run

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

to Ken Reitz the following inning, giving Mendoza a career 13.50

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 ...

. Mendoza remained with the Pirates as a defensive replacement through 1978, playing some

second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

and

third base 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 ...

as well. In five seasons with the Pirates, Mendoza batted .221, .180, .185, .198, and .218, respectively.

Seattle Mariners

Mendoza's request for a trade was granted at the

Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

on December 5, 1978, when he was dealt along with Odell Jones and Rafael Vásquez from the

Pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

to the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

for Enrique Romo, Tom McMillan and Rick Jones. In his first season with the Mariners in 1979, he made a career-high 401 plate appearances in a career high 148 games and 132 starts at shortstop. While providing the Mariners with a steady glove, he ended the season with a .198 batting average—making him only the fourth major leaguer ever to play as many as 148 games in a season and fail to break .200. The following year, Mendoza fared better at the plate, batting .245 in 277 at-bats.

Texas Rangers

Mendoza was traded along with

Willie Horton William R. Horton (born August 12, 1951), commonly referred to as "Willie Horton", is an American convicted murderer who was the subject of a major political controversy in the 1988 presidential election. Horton had committed violent crimes whi ...

Rick Honeycutt Frederick Wayne Honeycutt (born June 29, 1954), nicknamed "Honey", is an American former professional baseball coach and pitcher. Honeycutt pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six different teams over 21 years, from 1977 to 1997. He pitc ...

, Leon Roberts and Larry Cox from the Mariners to the Texas Rangers for

Richie Zisk Richard Walter Zisk (born February 6, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and designated hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Texa ...

, Jerry Don Gleaton, Rick Auerbach,

Ken Clay Kenneth Earl Clay (born April 6, 1954) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played for the New York Yankees (1977-1979), Texas Rangers (1980), and Seattle Mariners (1981), winning back-to-back World Series titles ...

, Brian Allard and minor-league right-handed pitcher Steve Finch in an 11-player blockbuster deal on December 18, 1980. In

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, Mendoza split time at short with Mark Wagner with Mendoza receiving the bulk of the playing time, and finishing with a .231 batting average. During the following season, he was released in June

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

with a .118 batting average.

Return to Mexico

Mendoza received an invitation to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

with the Pirates in 1983. After failing to make the team, he accepted a player-coach position with their 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 ...

affiliate, the

Hawaii Islanders The Hawaii Islanders were a minor league baseball team based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for 27 seasons from 1961 through 1987. Originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics, the Islanders played ...

. After one season in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, Mendoza returned to Mexico as a player/manager of the Monclova Acereros. Mendoza only managed Monclova for part of his first season back in the Mexican League, but his playing career in Mexico lasted seven seasons after his major league career ended. His career batting average in Mexico was a substantially better .291; he earned the nickname ''Manos de Seda,'' or ''Silk Hands'', for his fielding prowess.

Managerial career

Bill Bavasi, an executive with the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

, believed Mendoza was someone who had potential as a manager and offered him the reins to the Angels' Class A advanced

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

affiliate,

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team based in Lake Elsinore, California. The Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, w ...

, for the 1998 season. He remained with the Storm until they became a

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

affiliate in 2001, managing his son, Mario Jr., in 2000. Mendoza was inducted into the

in 2000. After managing the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

' double A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

affiliate Shreveport SwampDragons in 2002, Mendoza returned to Mexico to manage Dos Laredos in 2003, the Angelopolis Tigres in 2004, the

Olmecas de Tabasco The Olmecas de Tabasco (English: Tabasco Olmecs) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero. The Olmecas won their only Mexican Lea ...

in 2005 and 2006, and the

Piratas de Campeche The Piratas de Campeche (English: Campeche Pirates) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Campeche, Campeche, Mexico. History In 1980, the Alacranes de Durango moved to Campeche, and played their home games at Ven ...

in 2007. He was named manager of the

Broncos de Reynosa Los Broncos de Reynosa (English: Reynosa Broncos) were a Mexican team that played in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos stadium in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. The Broncos de Reynosa played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and it was part of the Zona ...

during the 2012 season. He was dismissed as Reynosa's manager in May 2013 after the team started in first place with a 30–23

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; team leadership cited differences of opinion with Mendoza. Mendoza became manager of the

of the

on 4 May 2023. He was sacked by the team on 5 June 2023.

The "Mendoza Line"

Mendoza claims that the term was invented in 1979 by his Mariner teammates Bruce Bochte and

Tom Paciorek Thomas Marian Paciorek ( ; born November 2, 1946) is an American former outfielder and first baseman who spent 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1970–1975), Atlanta Braves (1976–1978), Seattle Ma ...

. Bochte and Paciorek would tease Mendoza about his low batting average, as he struggled to hit .200 for the season - and throughout his career, finishing below .200 five times in his nine seasons in the big leagues. Although Mendoza finished his career with a batting average of .215, the Mendoza Line is almost universally accepted as being at .200, an average Mendoza flirted with all that year. From May 10 to the end of the season it fluctuated between .175 and .210, usually staying within just a few points of .200 before finishing at .198. The 'Mendoza Line' phrase was overheard by

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

batting champion

George Brett George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hit ( ...

, who used it in an interview in 1980 during his pursuit of a .400 batting average. He reportedly stated, "The first thing I look for in the Sunday papers is who is below the Mendoza line." The reference caught the attention of

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

announcer

Chris Berman Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor for ''SportsCenter'' on ESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network's '' Sunday NFL Count ...

, and the "Mendoza Line" became part of popular culture. However, Brett also praised Mendoza's defensive abilities, claiming Mendoza robbed him of sure base hits on several occasions with exceptional defensive plays.

References

*''Mendoza's Heroes: Fifty Batters Below .200'', Al Pepper, 2002, Poco Press

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Mario 1950 births Acereros de Monclova managers Acereros de Monclova players Águilas de Mexicali players Anaheim Angels scouts Baseball players from Chihuahua Broncos de Reynosa managers Charleston Charlies players Charros de Jalisco players Diablos Rojos del México players Gulf Coast Tourists players Hawaii Islanders players Living people Major League Baseball players from Mexico 20th-century Mexican sportsmen Major League Baseball shortstops Mayos de Navojoa players Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Minor league baseball managers Monroe Pirates players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players Olmecas de Tabasco managers Pericos de Puebla managers Piratas de Campeche managers Pittsburgh Pirates players Rieleros de Aguascalientes managers Rieleros de Aguascalientes players Salem Pirates players Saraperos de Saltillo managers Seattle Mariners players Sherbrooke Pirates players Sportspeople from Chihuahua City Sultanes de Monterrey players Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos managers Texas Rangers players Toros de Tijuana managers Vaqueros Laguna managers