Mark Bruce Salas (born March 8, 1961) is a former professional
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 ...
who 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), ...
from -. Salas, who is of Mexican descent, also worked for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
as a
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 ...
catcher.
St. Louis Cardinals
Salas was drafted out of
Nogales High School in
La Puente, California
La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
The original inhabitants of the ...
by 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 the eighteenth round of the
1979 Major League Baseball draft. After five seasons in their
farm system
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
, Salas debuted with the Cards on June 19, against the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
. With one
out in the ninth, Salas connected for a pinch hit
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
. He collected his first career
run batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
in his next game against 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 ...
. From there, Salas fell into an 0 for 17 slump, and was demoted to the triple A
Louisville Redbirds
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
. After the season, he was selected by the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
in the
rule 5 draft.
Minnesota Twins
Upon his arrival in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, Salas displaced
All-Star catcher
Dave Engle
Ralph David Engle (born November 30, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball utility player who played for the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers of the American League and the Montreal Expos of the National League from 1981 to ...
behind the plate (Engle was used primarily as a
designated hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...
in ). He hit his first major league
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
off
Hall of Famer
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Don Sutton
Donald Howard Sutton (April 2, 1945 – January 19, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 23 seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland ...
on April 27, 1985, on his way to nine on the season. He also batted an even .300 with 41 RBIs and five
triples in what would turn out to be his best season.
His season was interrupted in late May by a toe injury. He returned strong, batting .303 through July 1, but fell off after that. His
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
for the season was .233, however, he still produced 33 RBIs with eight home runs and four triples. Salas began the season splitting time with
Tim Laudner
Timothy Jon Laudner (born June 7, 1958) is an American former professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins from to .
Playing career
After playing baseball for Park Center Senior High School ...
behind the plate. He batted .378 with three home runs through June 6 when he was traded to the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
for
starting pitcher
In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro ( ; November 7, 1944 – October 27, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of former Major League first baseman Lance Niekro. Niekr ...
.
Chicago White Sox
Salas never quite got his footing as a Yankee, and batted .200 with three home runs and twelve RBIs over the remainder of the season in pinstripes. After which, Salas,
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
Steve Rosenberg &
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 ...
Dan Pasqua
Daniel Anthony Pasqua (born October 17, 1961) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox from 1985 through 1994. He works as a community repr ...
were dealt to the Chicago White Sox for
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
s
Richard Dotson
Richard Elliott Dotson (born January 10, 1959) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1980s. He is best noted for his 22-7 performance of , helping the Chicago White Sox win the American League West Division championship ...
&
Scott Nielsen
Jeffrey Scott Nielsen (born December 18, 1958) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during four seasons at the major league level for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 6th ro ...
at the
Winter meetings
Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...
.
With
Carlton Fisk
Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26, 1947), nicknamed "Pudge" and "The Commander", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1969 to 1993 for the Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971–1980) a ...
turning 40 to start the season, the Chisox went with three catchers. Salas had the second most playing time, and batted .250 with three home runs and nine RBIs.
Cleveland Indians
He was released during
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 ...
the following season, and signed 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 ...
. Salas was third on the Indians' depth chart at catcher, behind
Andy Allanson
Andrew Neal Allanson (born December 22, 1961) is a former professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight seasons, from 1986 to 1995. Andy was signed as a second-round pick in the 1983 amateur draft, by the Cleve ...
&
Joel Skinner
Joel Patrick Skinner (born February 21, 1961) is an American professional baseball manager and coach, and former Major League catcher and manager. Skinner mostly has managed at the minor-league level, save for one half of one season at the helm ...
. He spent most of the season with the triple A
Colorado Springs Sky Sox
The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...
, where he batted .315 with six home runs & twenty RBIs. He joined Cleveland in mid-May, and was used mostly as a
designated hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...
in his month and a half in the majors.
Detroit Tigers
Salas signed with the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
the day before the season started. His first hit as a Tigers was a game-winning home run on April 15 against the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
. Regardless, he saw limited duty until a mid-June injury to starting catcher
Mike Heath
Michael Thomas Heath (born February 5, 1955) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees (1978), Oakland Athletics (1979–1985), St. Louis Cardinals (1986 ...
landed him in the everyday line-up. His game-winning home run on June 10 led to a 7 for 17 stretch in which he hit two more home runs, and raised his batting average from .094 to .204. His nine home runs for the season tied a career high, and were two more than Heath.
Salas hit just one home run in , but his final career home run likely stands as his biggest. As a team, the Tigers had struck out a franchise record tying 21 times in a fourteen inning marathon against the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
on August 8. Entering the game in the fourteenth inning as a
pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...
for
Skeeter Barnes
William Henry "Skeeter" Barnes (born March 3, 1957) is a retired Major League Baseball utility player for the Cincinnati Reds (1983–1984 and 1989), Montreal Expos (1985), St. Louis Cardinals (1987) and Detroit Tigers (1991–1994).
Biography
B ...
, Salas connected on a 3-2 pitch for a three-run home run off Jays
closer Tom Henke
Thomas Anthony Henke (born December 21, 1957), nicknamed "the Terminator", is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for the Texas Rangers ...
.
Career statistics
Salas has had three career two home runs games. The first one carried the Twins to a 6–2 victory over
Charlie Hough
Charles Oliver Hough (; born January 5, 1948) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) knuckleball pitcher and coach who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Florida Marlins from 1970 to 1994.
Pla ...
and the
Texas Rangers on September 11, 1986. The other two both came in blowout losses.
He is one of a few major leaguers whose surname is a
palindrome
A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the words ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date and time ''11/11/11 11:11,'' and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panam ...
; the others being catcher
Truck Hannah (–),
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
Eddie Kazak (–),
infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.
Standard arrangement of positions
In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
Toby Harrah
Colbert Dale (Toby) Harrah (born October 26, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball from to . Harrah played the majority of his career for the Texas Rangers f ...
(–),
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
Dave Otto (–),
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
Dick Nen
Richard Leroy Nen (born September 24, 1939) is an American former professional baseball player. A first baseman, Nen appeared in 367 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers (), Washington Senators (–, ) and Chicago Cubs ...
(–), his son,
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 ...
Robb Nen
Robb Allen Nen (born November 28, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He spent most of his career as a closer. He is the son of former major league first baseman Dick Nen. He currently works in the Giants' front ...
(–), pitcher
Juan Salas
Juan Salas (born November 7, 1978) is a professional baseball relief pitcher. Salas signed with Tampa Bay on July 8, , as an amateur free agent, and made his Major League debut September 5, .
Salas is notable for being converted from playing thi ...
(–), and pitchers
Marino () and
Fernando Salas (–present).
References
External links
Mark Salasat Baseball Almanac
Fox Sports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salas, Mark
Chicago White Sox players
Chicago White Sox coaches
Chicago White Sox scouts
Cleveland Indians players
Detroit Tigers players
Minnesota Twins players
New York Yankees players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Major League Baseball catchers
Baseball players from California
American baseball players of Mexican descent
1961 births
Living people
Johnson City Cardinals players
St. Petersburg Cardinals players
Arkansas Travelers players
Nashville Sounds players
Louisville Redbirds players
Columbus Clippers players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Major League Baseball bullpen catchers
Sportspeople from Montebello, California
Gastonia Cardinals players