Armando Benítez
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Armando Benítez (born November 3, 1972) is a Dominican former major league
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 ...
. Benítez debuted with 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 ...
in 1994 and within a few years became their closer. He was a reliever for several other organizations after Baltimore in 1999 and last played in Major League Baseball in 2008. His 289 saves rank 32nd all time. After 2008, he played in minor league and independent league baseball.


Early life

Armando Germán Benítez was born in
San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís is a city and Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality (''municipio'') in the Dominican Republic and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís Province, San Pedro de Macorís province in the east region of the ...
, in the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
. His parents, father Francisco and mother Constancia, separated when he was young, so Armando was raised by his mother. She made a living by hand-washing clothes. Armando has two brothers, Francisco, Jr. and Osiri, as well as a sister, Senovia. Benítez learned to play baseball when he was 14, when his stature was a lanky 6'2", 140 pounds. He began to play baseball at a local academy and was originally an outfielder and third baseman.


Professional career


Baltimore Orioles

Benítez was signed in by the Baltimore Orioles as a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
. Coming up through the Orioles' farm system, he made his debut in . While with the Orioles, he initially struggled, collecting a 5.66
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 ...
in and faltering in the postseason frequently. In the 1996 ALCS, he yielded the infamous
Jeffrey Maier Jeffrey Maier (born 1983) is an American baseball fan who received media attention for an incident in which he was involved as a 12-year-old at a baseball game. During Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series between the New York Ya ...
home run, sprinting all the way to right field to confront the umpire,
Rich Garcia Richard Raul Garcia (born May 22, 1942) is a former umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB) who worked in the American League (AL) from 1975 to 1999. Garcia wore uniform number 19 when the AL adopted numbers for its umpires in 1980. Umpiring c ...
, who made the call. In 1997, Benítez had a breakout year, as he excelled in the set up role for Orioles' closer Randy Myers, forming a lethal 1–2 punch at the back end of the Orioles bullpen and propelling them to the AL East pennant. However, in the 1997 ALCS against Cleveland, Benitez had one of the least successful postseason series ever by a relief pitcher. The Orioles lost four games by a single run: in three of them, Benitez was on the mound for the final run of the game, while pitching one inning or less. He was charged with two losses and a blown save. By 1998, he started to show some of his future potential earning a 3.82 ERA and 22 saves in 71 games. However, during a game against 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 ...
on May 19, 1998, Benítez was ejected for hitting
Tino Martinez Constantino "Tino" Martinez (born December 7, 1967) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1990 t ...
with a pitch that led to a brawl between the two teams. Although Benítez denied hitting Martinez intentionally, few Orioles defended his actions and he was assessed an eight-game suspension by American League President
Gene Budig Gene Arthur Budig (May 25, 1939September 8, 2020) was an American baseball executive and academic administrator. He was the last president of the American League (AL), serving from 1994 to 1999. After his tenure concluded, the presidencies of t ...
, and his own manager even apologized to the Yankees for Benitez's behavior. It was the second time he had drilled Martinez, which caused Martinez's incensed reaction. He did the same thing three years before when Martinez was playing for the
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 ...
after surrendering an
Edgar Martínez Edgar Martínez (born January 2, 1963), nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a designated hitter and third baseman for the Seattle Mariners from 19 ...
grand slam, which had led to his demotion to the minors at that time.


New York Mets

Before the season, Benítez was traded to the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in a three-team deal, in which catcher Charles Johnson joined the Orioles while
Todd Hundley Todd Randolph Hundley (born May 27, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and outfielder. He was a two-time All-Star who played for 14 seasons with the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs. Early life Hundley was born ...
was sent to the
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 ...
, with
Roger Cedeño Roger Leandro Cedeño (born August 16, 1974) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1995 to 2005 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, ...
also joining Benitez in New York. Benitez initially served as the setup man for longtime Mets closer
John Franco John Anthony Franco (born September 17, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed relief pitcher between and . Franco established himself as an All-Star player with the Cinci ...
; however, when Franco went down with an injury mid-way through the 1999 season, Benitez assumed the job and was named the full-time Mets closer even after Franco's return. However, he continued his late season and postseason struggles. In Game 4 of the 1999 NL Division Series, after notoriously arriving late to the ballpark in Game 4, he was called upon to protect a 2–1 lead in the eighth inning against the expansion
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
, but allowed a two-run double as the Diamondbacks went ahead. He also blew a three-run lead in Game 2 of the 2000 NL Division Series against the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
, surrendering a game tying three run homer to
JT Snow Jack Thomas Snow Jr. (born February 26, 1968) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports color commentator. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball from to , most notably as a member of the San Franci ...
. He would also surrender the lead in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series 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 ...
, as the Yankees would eventually prevail in a marathon extra-inning game, ultimately winning the series in five games. Despite these struggles during his four seasons in New York, he managed to establish himself as one of the Major Leagues' better closers, saving 139 games. But it was also a painful time for Benítez, who battled
gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...
during the 2000 season, due to overindulging in
shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...
. However, as Benítez still struggled to hold leads when it seemed to matter most, to many fans his failures in clutch situations overshadowed most of the success he had in his career in New York. Regardless, several playoff contenders were interested in his services. Midway through , as Benítez labored trying to convert saves through the year, 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 ...
, who intended to use him as a
setup Setup (the noun) or set up (the verb) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Set Up'' (2005 film), a 2005 Hong Kong horror film * ''Setup'' (2011 film), a 2011 action thriller heist film Music * ''Setup'' (album), a 1994 album by ...
man for
Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most ...
.


New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and Florida Marlins

Benítez had a 1.93 ERA, but allowed 14 baserunners in innings over nine games with the Yankees before being traded in a post-deadline waiver deal to the
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 ...
for Jeff Nelson. Benitez finished the 2003 season in Seattle. In , Benítez once again became a closer, signing a one-year, $3.5 million contract to join the
Florida 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 ...
. His season with the Marlins ended up being his best season to date; he saved 47 games in 51 chances and compiled a 1.29 ERA. In fact, after giving up a solo
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 ...
in his first game of the season, he did not allow another earned run until June 5, an impressive streak of 30 scoreless innings. After the season, Benítez elected to become a free agent, signing a three-year contract with the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
that was worth a reported US$21 million.


San Francisco Giants

His tenure with the Giants was mired by injuries and a high percentage of blown saves, never recapturing the form he showed in 2004 with the Marlins. His first season with the Giants started badly when Benítez tore a pair of tendons in his right hamstring while running to cover first in late April. The injury had him sidelined until August, when he returned to the mound after a difficult rehab. Benítez struggled for much of the season, at one point blowing three consecutive save opportunities. Benítez's season ended prematurely after being placed on the 60-day
disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
with
arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...
in both knees. He ended the season with 17 saves in 25 opportunities. Benítez started well, converting all of his first seven save opportunities. However, in May, Benítez picked up two blown saves and three losses, including a blown save and a loss against his former team, the Mets, where he committed two
balk In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. Most of these violations involve pitchers pretending to pitch when they have no intention of doing so. In games played under the Official Baseball Ru ...
s. This game immediately brought back memories of his various meltdowns on the mound as a Met, and the media pounced on it. After the game Benítez commented, "I didn't do my job", contrasting with his previous game where he picked up the loss yet claimed, "I did my job."
MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...
writer Chris Haft reported that this added "little to the family atmosphere" at the Giants ballclub. Benítez had once before said, "I did my job", even when tallying a blown save, during a Giants loss to the Nationals in 2006. On May 31, 2007, he was traded back to the Florida Marlins in exchange for
Randy Messenger Randall Jerome Messenger (born August 13, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, best known for his time with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball. He is tall and weighs . He made his Major League debut on June 2 ...
. Giants general manager Brian Sabean acknowledged that Benítez was not liked by the Giants fanbase, saying he had become a "whipping boy", adding "the fans, the press and maybe some people in the clubhouse felt he needed to go". Chris Haft noted that Benítez had "incurred the wrath of San Francisco fans with his perceived attitude as well as his performance", further writing "he maintained his tendency to shrug off accountability for poor performances, prompting the crowds at AT&T Park to boo him after the slightest lapse."


Return to the Marlins, then onto the Toronto Blue Jays

Benítez's first return to
AT&T Park Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...
after being traded to the Marlins came on July 29, 2007. He was greeted with "thunderous boos" from the Giants fans. On October 29, 2007, Benítez officially filed for free agency, ending his second tenure with the Marlins following a disappointing campaign where he posted a 5.36 ERA between the two teams and did not record a save following the trade. On March 11, 2008, Benítez agreed to a minor league deal with 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 ...
and was given chance to compete for a bullpen job in spring training. After starting the season in the minors, he was eventually added to the active roster in May. However, after posting a 5.68 ERA, he was designated for assignment on June 7, and released.


Later career

Benitez started the 2009 season with the
Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...
, an Independent League team in the Atlantic League, before signing a minor league contract with the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
on August 22, and was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate the
Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...
. On his minor league return, Benitez gave up back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs against Memphis Redbirds hitters. On June 24, 2010, Benitez signed a minor league deal with the Florida Marlins and was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate,
New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
. Benitez was released on July 15 and immediately signed to play his second stint with the
Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...
. Following the season, he became a free agent. In May 2011, Armando signed to play for the
Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...
of the Atlantic League of Independent Baseball. On May 24, 2012, Benitez signed with the Atlantic League's
Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "partne ...
. They are not affiliated with
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), ...
or Minor League Baseball.


Accomplishments

* Two-time All-Star (2003–04) * National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award (2001) * #32 all-time in Saves (289)


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders The following is a list of annual leaders in saves in Major League Baseball (MLB), with separate lists for the American League and the National League. The list includes several professional leagues and associations that were never part of MLB. ...


References


External links


Armando Benítez: Profile
on the Fish@Bat Florida Marlins Wiki {{DEFAULTSORT:Benitez, Armando 1972 births Living people Albany Polecats players Baltimore Orioles players Bluefield Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dunedin Blue Jays players Florida Marlins players Frederick Keys players Gulf Coast Orioles players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic National League All-Stars National League saves champions New York Mets players New York Yankees players Newark Bears players People from San Pedro de Macorís Province Rochester Red Wings players Round Rock Express players San Francisco Giants players San Jose Giants players Seattle Mariners players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Toronto Blue Jays players Azucareros del Este players Toros del Este players