Mendoza

While most baseball fans (and many observers of pop culture) can accurately note that the Mendoza Line represents a batting average of .200, far fewer can tell you just who Mendoza was and how he came to be granted eponymous ownership of said line.

Mario Mendoza was born in 1950 in Chihuahua Mexico. A slick fielding shortstop, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1970. He made his big league debut in 1974 and bounced up and down between the Pirates and their farm teams over the next few seasons. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners in 1978 and shipped to the Texas Rangers in 1981. He played 9 seasons total in the majors, appearing in 686 games, with a career batting average of .215, four home runs, and 101 RBIs. He was a superior defensive shortstop with a career fielding percentage of .961.

After being released by the Rangers, Mendoza continued to play ball in Mexico, both in the Summer League and in the Winter League, where he had played before and during his Major League career. He was an not only an accomplished player, but a fan favorite in Mexico, nicknamed “Elegante” for his smooth style of play and his good looks.

His playing days behind him, Mendoza managed in the Angels and Giants systems from 1992-2002. He has managed since in the Mexican Leagues, currently with the Olmecas de Tabasco.

In 2000, Mendoza was elected to the Salon de la Fama, the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame.

As is often the case, the exact origins of the designation of Mendoza Line are a bit murky. The most accepted version of the events begins with Seattle Mariner teammate Tom Paciorek, who coined the phrase. It is likely Paciorek was looking at the players’ statistics, listed in the Sunday newspaper and always sorted by batting average, where Mendoza’s listing would be near the bottom.