What is the Mendoza Line?
In this blog post, Up in The Rafters quickly goes over what the Baseball term Mendoza Line comes from and means.
Mendoza Line
The Mendoza line is a baseball phrase that is used whenever a baseball player's batting average falls below .200. When a player’s average falls below .200, they are quite simply sucking. From 2008 to 2021, the major league average for a player has been between .237 and .264, so falling .37 points short of the league average generally means you might be getting demoted to the minors real soon.
Why is it called the Mendoza Line?
The phrase Mendoza Line was named after a player named Mario Mendoza. Mario Mendoza was an MLB baseball player from 1974 to 1982 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. During his time playing Major League Baseball, Mario Mendoza batted below .200 for five seasons during his career. Interestingly he still held a career .215 average, which is above the line named after him. His best season took place in 1980 when he batted .245 for the Seattle Mariners.
The phrase was originally coined when he was playing and his teammates (specifically Tom Paciorek and Bruce Bochte) noticed how he was always batting around .200. Tom Paciorek and Bruce Bochte would then go on to joke with teammate George Brett whenever he was slumping, saying he was approaching the Mendoza Line.
Mendoza Line's Rise to Popularity
Like many phrases used today, the Mendoza Line started as a phrase only used by few people and mostly only specific groups of players in the Major League who understood the reasoning behind the name. However, once major brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN heard of it, the phrase became known throughout all of baseball, players and fans alike. Becoming as popular as phrases like “can of corn” or “high cheese”.
If you’re new to baseball, a can of corn means a fly ball to the outfield that is easy to catch, and high cheese refers to an extremely fast high fastball.
Source: The Athletic
Random Facts about Mario Mendoza
Mario Mendoza's commitment to the game has earned him a place in the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame. Mendoza had a high skill set as a coach of the game despite his below-average hitting ability. Mario managed a couple of minor league teams in both the US and Mexico.