Mario Mendoza
| Mario Mendoza | |
|---|---|
| Shortstop | |
| Born: December 26, 1950 Chihuahua , Mexico 
|
|
| Strikes: Right | Throws: Right |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| April 26, 1974 with the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB assignment | |
| May 22, 1982 with the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics (until end of career) |
|
| Batting average | , 215 |
| Home runs | 4th |
| Runs Batted In | 101 |
| Teams | |
|
|
|
| Last update: November 16, 2014 | |
Mario Mendoza Aizpuru (born December 26, 1950 in Chihuahua , Mexico ) is a retired Mexican baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball . Mendoza was a defensively strong shortstop , the Manos de Seda (German: "hands made of silk") was called. Because of his offensive weakness, he became the namesake of the so-called Mendoza Line .
Career
Mendoza joined a Pittsburgh Pirates farm team in 1970 . He described the time as a period of full ethnic tension because, as a Mexican, he was cut by the Dominicans and derided by the blacks as "Orange". But Mendoza prevailed and only became the 28th Mexican to make his MLB debut in 1974. He was mostly a reserve player as he was strong defensively but weak offensively. When his batting average fell below .200, the term Mendoza Line was born. Mendoza improved to a batting average of up to .245 at the Mariners and Rangers before he was retired by the Rangers at the age of 31 and ended his MLB career. He played in Mexico for a few more years and then ended his professional career.
Mendoza worked as a coach in his subsequent career. He is married to Irma Beatriz and has three children, Irma Maria, Manolo and Mario junior.
Mendoza Line
Mendoza was considered a defensively strong shortstop, which was able to handle especially hard ground balls safely. However, his career batting average was a moderate .215, and in his worst year he fell to .198. Allegedly, sports reporter Chris Berman coined the expression Mendoza Line : whoever hits worse than Mendoza has no right to exist in the MLB. Since then, Mendoza has been synonymous with baseball for "personified mediocrity". In an interview with Sports Illustrated , Mendoza admitted that he was stigmatized and that he took note of this with slight resignation.
societies
- Pittsburgh Pirates (1974-78)
- Seattle Mariners (1979-80)
- Texas Rangers (1981-82)
Web links
- Player information and statistics from MLB or ESPN or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or The Baseball Cube or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
- Sports Illustrated biography with reference to the Mendoza Line ( Memento from May 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mendoza, Mario |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Manos de Seda |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | mexican baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 26, 1950 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chihuahua , Mexico |