Mario Mendoza

Born: 12/26/1950 in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México

MLB Debut: 1974-04-26 | Final Game: 1982-05-22

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lbs

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Biography

Mario Mendoza was a professional baseball player born in 1950, who played as a position player in Major League Baseball from 1974 until his retirement in 1982. Over the course of his career, Mendoza participated in 686 games, primarily as a shortstop. He was known for his defensive skills, which earned him a reputation as a solid infielder during an era characterized by a focus on pitching and defensive prowess. Mendoza finished his career with 287 hits, 4 home runs, and 101 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .215. He also recorded 12 stolen bases, showcasing his ability to contribute on the base paths despite a limited offensive output. His name became synonymous with batting struggles, giving rise to the term "Mendoza Line," which refers to the threshold for a respectable batting average in the league. This legacy, combined with his role during the late 1970s to early 1980s, underscores his significance in baseball history, especially as the game began to evolve towards a greater emphasis on offensive production.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
686	1337	106	287	33	9	4	101	12	52	219	0.215	0.245	0.262	0.507	-7112.8

Career AVG .215 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 17.5% below league average.

Career OBP .245 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 24.6% below league average.

Career SLG .262 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 31.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.507 vs. league average 0.707 across their career seasons — 28.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1974	PIT	NL	91	163	10	36	1	2	0	15	1	8	35	0.221	.256 (-14%)	.324 (-20%)	.369 (-32%)	.693 (-26%)	-795.6
1975	PIT	NL	56	50	8	9	1	0	0	2	0	3	17	0.180	.257 (-30%)	.327 (-31%)	.374 (-47%)	.701 (-39%)	-333.8
1976	PIT	NL	50	92	6	17	5	0	0	12	0	4	15	0.185	.255 (-28%)	.320 (-32%)	.360 (-34%)	.681 (-33%)	-527.0
1977	PIT	NL	70	81	5	16	3	0	0	4	0	3	10	0.198	.264 (-25%)	.329 (-31%)	.401 (-42%)	.730 (-37%)	-542.1
1978	PIT	NL	57	55	5	12	1	0	1	3	3	2	9	0.218	.257 (-15%)	.323 (-12%)	.378 (-23%)	.702 (-18%)	-158.0
1979	SEA	AL	148	373	26	74	10	3	1	29	3	9	62	0.198	.265 (-25%)	.329 (-34%)	.397 (-37%)	.727 (-36%)	-2842.6
1980	SEA	AL	114	277	27	68	6	3	2	14	3	16	42	0.245	.264 (-7%)	.326 (-12%)	.387 (-20%)	.714 (-17%)	-880.5
1981	TEX	AL	88	229	18	53	6	1	0	22	2	7	25	0.231	.255 (-9%)	.320 (-21%)	.368 (-28%)	.688 (-24%)	-1033.2
1982	TEX	AL	12	17	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0.118	—	—	—	—	0.0

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2.0	3	3	1	2	0	13.50	0

Career ERA 13.50 vs. league average 4.00 across their career seasons — 237.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1977	PIT	NL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2.0	3	3	2	0	13.50	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
3	5	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1974	NLCS	PIT	3	5	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0.200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	22	4	17	31	1	3
3B	40	0	9	24	4	1
P	1	0	0	1	0	0
SS	606	420	645	1452	85	275

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1974	PIT	SS	87	48	77	187	10	21
1975	PIT	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1975	PIT	SS	53	17	29	70	5	10
1976	PIT	2B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1976	PIT	3B	2	0	0	2	0	0
1976	PIT	SS	45	24	42	103	5	19
1977	PIT	3B	19	0	5	6	1	0
1977	PIT	P	1	0	0	1	0	0
1977	PIT	SS	45	17	36	80	9	13
1978	PIT	2B	21	4	17	31	1	3
1978	PIT	3B	18	0	4	16	3	1
1978	PIT	SS	14	2	7	14	1	0
1979	SEA	SS	148	132	177	422	20	91
1980	SEA	SS	114	91	149	290	19	68
1981	TEX	SS	88	83	114	270	12	47
1982	TEX	SS	12	6	14	16	4	6