Carlos Agustín Mármol (born October 14, 1982) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, and the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. Carlos owns Recta 49, a successful restaurant/car wash in the Dominican Republic.

Professional career

Minor leagues

Mármol was signed by the

as an amateur free agent on July 3, 1999 as a

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

. In his last season as a hitter, in 2002, he batted .258 with a .271 OBP for the

Arizona League Cubs The Arizona Complex League Cubs are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays it home games at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The team is composed mainly of player ...

in the Rookie League, and .149 with a .167 OBP for the

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Field. The Midwe ...

in the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. After batting .273 in 14 minor league games, Mármol converted to become a pitcher. He went 26–19 with a 3.41

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

before being added to the 40-man roster in November 2005.

Chicago Cubs

2006

Mármol made his Major League debut on June 4, 2006, against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

in a relief appearance. He pitched two scoreless innings and gave up one hit while striking out three. After Cubs pitcher

Kerry Wood Kerry Lee Wood (born June 16, 1977) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. Wood first came to prominence as a 20-year-old rook ...

was placed on the disabled list for the second time of the season, Mármol was called on to make a spot start. He was one of seven rookies to make a start for the 2006 Cubs. On June 11, against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, in his first Major League start he allowed just one run on two hits while striking out seven, to earn the win. He went on to make 19 appearances and 13 starts in the 2006 season with a 5-7 record. He posted a 6.08 ERA in 77 innings, and walked 6.9 batters per 9 innings.

2007

Mármol returned to the Major Leagues in 2007 as a relief pitcher for the Cubs. Due to an injury to closer

Ryan Dempster Ryan Scott Dempster (born May 3, 1977), is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, and Boston Red Sox. Dempster batted and t ...

, Mármol was called upon to pitch in the ninth inning of a game against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

on June 27, 2007. He pitched a scoreless frame, recording two strikeouts, for his first Major League save. In his second season, he flourished in the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

as a

setup man In baseball, a setup man (or set-up man, also sometimes referred to as a setup pitcher or setup reliever) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth. As ...

and finished the season with a stellar ERA of 1.43 and struck out 96 batters in 69.1 innings. His ERA was good enough for third in the Major Leagues among relievers, behind only

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

closer J. J. Putz and

closer

Takashi Saito is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who is currently the chief pitching coach for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Saito's professional career spanned 23 years. He spent his first 13 seasons pit ...

. He received one 10th place vote and came in 26th in the MVP award voting.

2008

Entering the 2008 season, Mármol was in a tight battle for the closer spot that was now vacant with former closer Dempster having moved to the starting rotation. He competed with Kerry Wood and

Bob Howry Bobby Dean Howry (born August 4, 1973) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Early life Howry attended, and played baseball at Deer Valley High School in Arizona, then he attended McNeese State University and was drafted b ...

for the spot, and while both he and Wood had solid numbers in the spring, manager

Lou Piniella Louis Victor Piniella ( usually ; born August 28, 1943) is a former professional baseball player and manager. An outfielder, he played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals and ...

opted for the veteran Wood to close and kept Mármol in the setup role he excelled at in 2007. With Wood suffering from a blister, Mármol was selected to replace him at the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

, and pitched a scoreless 13th inning of relief in an eventual 15-inning

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

loss.

2009

Mármol competed with

Kevin Gregg Kevin Marschall Gregg (born June 20, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Florida / Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blu ...

for the closer's role in 2009 after the departure of Wood before the 2009 MLB season, but lost the role to Gregg. In spring training in 2009 he led all pitchers in

hit batsmen In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

, with 5 (in 10.1 innings). As of August 18, 2009, he was leading all NL pitchers in hbp in the regular season, with 11 (in 56.1 innings), and his 52 walks averaged over 8 walks per 9 innings. However, after a series of disappointing appearances by Gregg in August, and after Gregg allowed 12 homers in innings (the most in the majors for a reliever), Piniella announced on August 18 that Mármol would replace Gregg as closer.

2010

Mármol won the

Delivery Man of the Month Award Major League Baseball (MLB) honored its best relief pitchers with a Delivery Man of the Month Award for one pitcher during each month of the regular season from 2005 through 2013. The awards were initially part of a sponsorship agreement between ...

for September 2010. He finished the 2010 campaign with 16.0 strikeouts averaged per nine innings (138 in innings), breaking the record for highest K/9 ratio by a pitcher with at least 50 innings pitched, previously held by

Éric Gagné Éric Serge Gagné (; born January 7, 1976) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After signing with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1995 ...

's 14.9 mark over his 2003 season. His 138 K's are a franchise record for a relief pitcher.

2011

In 2011, Mármol led the National League and tied for the Major League lead in blown saves (with

Jordan Walden Jordan Craig Walden (born November 16, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, and St. Louis Cardinals. Early life Walden was born ...

) with 10.

2013

On June 25, 2013, Marmol was designated for assignment by the Cubs after recording a 5.86 ERA in 31 appearances during the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On July 2, 2013, he was traded to the

for reliever

Matt Guerrier Matthew Olson Guerrier (born August 2, 1978) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Amateur career A native of Cleveland ...

. The Dodgers promptly outrighted him to the minor leagues, where he made 3 appearances for Class A

Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Bernardino County, California, given in 1839 to the dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The grant formed parts of pr ...

and 2 for AA

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

. The Dodgers recalled him to the Majors on July 23. In 21 appearances for the Dodgers he had an ERA of 2.53.

Miami Marlins

On February 6, 2014, Marmol agreed to a one-year contract with the

worth $1.25 million. In 15 appearances, he recorded an 8.10 ERA in innings, while striking out 14 batters and walking 10. He was designated for assignment on May 11, 2014. On May 19, the Marlins officially released Marmol.

Cincinnati Reds

On May 27, 2014, Mármol signed a minor league deal with the

. He was released on November 17, 2014, after only pitching in 3 games in Louisville.

Cleveland Indians

On May 8, 2015, Mármol signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Boston Red Sox

On February 16, 2016, Mármol signed a minor league contract with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, with an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. On March 28, 2016, Mármol was released by the Red Sox.

International career

He has played in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

for the Dominican Republic.

Pitching style

Mármol is known for two quality pitches, a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...

(91–94 mph, although when he was younger this was often several mph faster), and a sweeping

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

(81–84). When Mármol pitched well, he became nearly unhittable, as evidenced by career rates of 5.7 hits and 11.7 strikeouts per 9 innings. However, Mármol has also at times been plagued by serious control problems. In 2009, he was third in the entire National League in

(12) despite only pitching 74 innings. He had also walked more batters than he has allowed hits in his career. Mármol's control issues and an over-reliance on his slider — despite manager

Dale Sveum Dale Curtis Sveum ( ; born November 23, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager. He most recently served as the bench coach for the Kansas City Royals. As a player, Sveum saw action in 12 major league seasons bet ...

's advice to throw his fastball more often — led to Sveum removing him from the closer role in May 2012.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marmol, Carlos 1982 births Living people Arizona League Cubs players Chattanooga Lookouts players Chicago Cubs players Columbus Clippers players Daytona Cubs players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Iowa Cubs players Lansing Lugnuts players Los Angeles Dodgers players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Miami Marlins players National League All-Stars People from Bonao Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Tigres del Licey players West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2009 World Baseball Classic players