On This Date in Sports May 22, 1982: Mendoza Line

In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com

Mario Mendoza has his final at-bat in the majors, playing with the Texas Rangers with a fielder's choice on a bunt. Mendoza would come around and score as the Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 at Royals Stadium. Mendoza would be released by Texas two weeks later. Mario Mendoza spent nine seasons in the majors and struggled to bat above .200, giving birth to the term "Mendoza Line." 

Mario Mendoza was born on December 26, 1950, in Chihuahua, Mexico. Mendoza caught the eye of major league scouts while playing for the Diablos Rojos in Mexico City. Despite his offensive struggles, Mario Mendoza was impressive with the glove and signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. After four seasons in the minors, Mendoza debuted with Pittsburgh on April 26, 1974, pinch-running for Willie Stargel. 

In five seasons with Pittsburgh, Mario Mendoza spent most of the time on the bench while coming on the field late in the game as a defensive replacement. The highest batting average Mendoza enjoyed was .221 in his rookie season. He spent the next three years batting under .200 before putting up a .218 average in 1978. Over this period, players would often joke about teammates struggling with a .200 average; this led to the term Mendoza Line for a player batting under .200. 

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Mario Mendoza was traded to the Seattle Mariners before the 1979 season. While the Pirates went on to win the World Series, Mendoza saw regular playing time with a third-year expansion team. Again he batted under .200, posting an average of .198. In 1980, Mario Mendoza had his best season batting .245 with two of his four career home runs. 

In 1981, Mario Mendoza moved on to the Texas Rangers and had a marginally respectable .231 average. However, his average plummeted in 1982. At the time of his release, Mario Mendoza had a career-low batting average of .118. After his release, Mario Mendoza returned to play in Mexico, where he spent the next seven seasons. Mario Mendoza hit .215 for his career with four home runs and 101 RBI.