| Dámaso Marte | |
|---|---|
 Marte with the New York Yankees | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1975-02-14)February 14, 1975 (age 50) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 30, 1999, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 7, 2010, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 23–27 |
| Earned run average | 3.48 |
| Strikeouts | 533 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Dámaso Marte Saviñón (born February 14, 1975) is aDominican former professional baseballrelief pitcher.[1] He played for theSeattle Mariners (1999),Pittsburgh Pirates (2001,2006–2008),Chicago White Sox (2002–2005), andNew York Yankees (2008–2011).[2]
Marte was signed as an amateurfree agent by the Seattle Mariners in1992. He made his major league debut on June 30, 1999, during a 14–5 loss against theOakland Athletics, allowing three earned runs in an inning of work.[3]
On November 16,2000, Marte signed with the New York Yankees,[4] but was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 13, 2001, forEnrique Wilson.[5] In his Pirates debut, he hurled three innings of one-hit ball against theMontreal Expos.[6] He went on to throw 14 innings in which he only allowed onerun andstruck out a career-high five batters against theCincinnati Reds.
On March 27, 2002, Marte along with Edwin Yan were traded to the Chicago White Sox forMatt Guerrier.[7] In2003, he enjoyed his most successful big league season, where he went 4–2 with a 1.58ERA in 79.7 innings pitched where he struck out a career high 87 batters. He continued his success in2004 when he held opposing batters to a .217batting average and left-handed batters to an average of .143. He also matched his career high for strikeouts in a game with 5 against theFlorida Marlins.
A notable achievement for him was being the winning pitcher in what was then the longest game inWorld Series history, Game 3 of the2005 World Series. In that game, he tossed 1.2 scoreless innings and struck out three batters in the 14 inning win over theHouston Astros. The White Sox would then win the World Series against the Astros in 4 games.[8]
On December 8, 2005, the White Sox traded Marte back to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange forRob Mackowiak.[9] Marte made three relief appearances in theWorld Baseball Classic for theDominican Republic in 2006 but was shut down after experiencing shoulder inflammation.[10] In the regular season, he lost seven straight games as a reliever but still averaged 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
In2007, he enjoyed some success where he held left-handed batters to a .094 batting average. He also did not allow a hit in 32 consecutiveat-bats against left-handers which happened to be the longest streak of consecutive hitless at-bats by a left-handed batter against any pitcher in the MLB. For a stint, after an injury toMatt Capps, Marte was the Piratesclosing pitcher. He amassed five saves before being traded to the Yankees.
On July 26, 2008, Marte andXavier Nady were traded to the Yankees in exchange forJosé Tábata,Ross Ohlendorf,Jeff Karstens, andDaniel McCutchen.[11] In his Yankees debut, he relievedJosé Veras (for only one batter), and facedDavid Ortiz, who struck out swinging.[12]
Following the 2008 season, the Yankees declined Marte's option. However, the Yankees then re-signed him to a new three-year deal with an option for a fourth.[4]
Following a disappointing regular season in which Marté posted an ERA of 9.45, he delivered an extraordinary performance for the Yankees in the playoffs. After a shaky first outing in Game 2 of the2009 American League Division Series, in which he surrendered two consecutive singles to theMinnesota Twins before being relieved, Marte retired all twelve of the remaining batters he faced during the postseason. During Game 6 of the2009 World Series, Marte facedPhiladelphia Phillies starsChase Utley andRyan Howard, striking out both of them on the minimum six pitches. Marte and the Yankees went on to win Game 6, clinching the Series for the team's 27th championship.[13]
Marte missed much of the 2010 season due to left arm inflammation. He underwent left shoulder surgery late in the 2010 season and was knocked out for the entire 2011 season.[14] In late June, Marte started to play catch in his journey to recovery.[15] He became a free agent at the end of the 2011 season after the Yankees declined his 2012 option and paid him a $250,000 buyout.[16]
Marte supports a children's foundation in his name.[17]
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