Mark Portugal, baseball player, 1985-1999

Mark Portugal

Born: 10/30/1962 in Los Angeles, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1985-08-14 | Final Game: 1999-09-22

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Mark Steven Portugal

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Biography

Mark Portugal was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1985 to 1999. Born in 1962, he made his Major League Baseball debut and quickly established himself as a reliable arm on the mound. Over the course of his career, Portugal recorded a win-loss record of 109-95, showcasing his effectiveness as a starting pitcher. He posted an earned run average (ERA) of 4.03, while accumulating 1,134 strikeouts and five saves, underscoring his ability to not only start games but also contribute in relief situations as needed. Portugal played during a transformative era in baseball, where offensive production was on the rise, and pitchers faced increasingly powerful lineups. His durability and competitiveness allowed him to remain relevant in the game throughout the late 1980s and into the 1990s. Known for his strong work ethic and strategic approach to pitching, Portugal left a mark on the teams he played for, including notable stints with the Houston Astros and the Cincinnati Reds. His contributions to the game have continued to be appreciated by baseball historians and fans alike, as he navigated the challenges of a changing league while maintaining a commendable career trajectory.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
109 95 346 283 16 4 5 1826.3 1813 817 209 607 1134 4.03 0

Career ERA 4.03 vs. league average 4.17 across their career seasons — near 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
1985 MIN AL 1 3 6 4 0 0 0 24.3 24 15 14 12 5.55 3.89 (-42%) -692.9
1986 MIN AL 6 10 27 15 3 0 1 112.7 112 54 50 67 4.31 3.97 (-9%) -348.7
1987 MIN AL 1 3 13 7 0 0 0 44.0 58 38 24 28 7.77 4.29 (-81%) -3163.7
1988 MIN AL 3 3 26 0 0 0 3 57.7 60 29 17 31 4.53 3.73 (-21%) -2007.8
1989 HOU NL 7 1 20 15 2 1 0 108.0 91 33 37 86 2.75 3.71 (+26%) 1695.0
1990 HOU NL 11 10 32 32 1 0 0 196.7 187 79 67 136 3.62 3.86 (+6%) -179.8
1991 HOU NL 10 12 32 27 1 0 1 168.3 163 84 59 120 4.49 3.91 (-15%) -318.8
1992 HOU NL 6 3 18 16 1 1 0 101.3 76 30 41 62 2.66 3.75 (+29%) 115.2
1993 HOU NL 18 4 33 33 1 1 0 208.0 194 64 77 131 2.77 4.19 (+34%) 3625.6
1994 SFG NL 10 8 21 21 1 0 0 137.3 135 60 45 87 3.93 4.51 (+13%) -
1995 SFG NL 5 5 17 17 1 0 0 104.0 106 48 34 63 4.15 4.45 (+7%) -
1995 CIN NL 6 5 14 14 0 0 0 77.7 79 33 22 33 3.82 4.45 (+14%) 195.1
1996 CIN NL 8 9 27 26 1 1 0 156.0 146 69 42 93 3.98 4.61 (+14%) 478.3
1997 PHI NL 0 2 3 3 0 0 0 13.7 17 7 5 2 4.61 4.39 (-5%) 162.9
1998 PHI NL 10 5 26 26 3 0 0 166.3 186 82 32 104 4.44 4.43 (avg) -595.1
1999 BOS AL 7 12 31 27 1 0 0 150.3 179 92 41 79 5.51 4.71 (-17%) -2688.2

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
348 450 33 89 20 1 2 36 0 20 87 0.198 0.232 0.260 0.492 -1222.1

Career AVG .198 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 24.6% below league average.

Career OBP .232 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 29.9% below league average.

Career SLG .260 vs. league average .404 across their career seasons — 35.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.492 vs. league average 0.734 across their career seasons — 33.0% 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
1985 MIN AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 MIN AL 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 MIN AL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 MIN AL 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 HOU NL 20 34 3 7 3 0 1 2 0 1 6 0.206 — — — — 0.0
1990 HOU NL 32 66 2 9 0 0 0 5 0 1 8 0.136 .257 (-47%) .324 (-54%) .385 (-65%) .710 (-60%) -650.4
1991 HOU NL 33 46 4 9 1 0 0 3 0 4 4 0.196 — — — — -234.0
1992 HOU NL 18 28 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0.107 — — — — 0.0
1993 HOU NL 33 65 4 15 0 0 1 8 0 3 13 0.231 .265 (-13%) .332 (-23%) .403 (-31%) .735 (-27%) -321.7
1994 SFG NL 21 48 4 17 5 1 0 8 0 1 8 0.354 — — — — 78.1
1995 SFG NL 17 29 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 2 6 0.103 — — — — 0.0
1995 CIN NL 14 29 4 5 3 0 0 4 0 3 7 0.172 — — — — 0.0
1996 CIN NL 28 48 4 8 1 0 0 1 0 1 11 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1997 PHI NL 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1998 PHI NL 26 50 6 13 5 0 0 4 0 4 10 0.260 .266 (-2%) .335 (-6%) .420 (-14%) .755 (-11%) -94.1
1999 BOS AL 31 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1995 NLCS CIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 1 0 0 1.0 3 4 1 0 36.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1995 NLCS CIN 0 1 1 0 0 1.0 3 4 1 0 36.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 346 283 163 210 22 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1985 MIN P 6 4 4 7 1 1
1986 MIN P 27 15 5 14 1 3
1987 MIN P 13 7 1 6 0 2
1988 MIN P 26 0 2 1 1 0
1989 HOU P 20 15 11 15 2 0
1990 HOU P 32 32 23 19 1 2
1991 HOU P 32 27 16 17 3 1
1992 HOU P 18 16 16 13 3 1
1993 HOU P 33 33 21 28 2 2
1994 SFN P 21 21 10 12 1 1
1995 SFN P 17 17 5 13 1 1
1995 CIN P 14 14 4 8 0 1
1996 CIN P 27 26 11 16 2 1
1997 PHI P 3 3 1 2 1 0
1998 PHI P 26 26 24 17 3 2
1999 BOS P 31 27 9 22 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 346

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1994 Silver Slugger P

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1999 BOS AL $2,700,000
1998 PHI NL $2,350,000
1997 CIN NL $400,000
1997 PHI NL $2,350,000
1996 CIN NL $4,333,334
1995 SFN NL $3,377,778
1994 SFN NL $2,333,333
1993 HOU NL $2,095,000
1992 HOU NL $1,250,000
1991 HOU NL $705,000
1990 HOU NL $202,000
1989 HOU NL $95,000
1986 MIN AL $62,500
Total Career Earnings $22,253,945

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1993 Cy Young Award NL 6th 2.0 140 0