Mendoza Line
Encyclopedia
The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball
in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza
, whose lifetime batting average
is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. Even though Mendoza's career batting average over nine seasons (1974-1982) was .215, most often the cutoff point is said to be .200, and, when a position player's batting average
falls below that level, the player is said to be below the Mendoza Line. This is often thought of as the offensive threshold below which a player's presence in Major League Baseball
cannot be justified, regardless of his defensive abilities. Pitchers are not held to this standard, since their specialized work and infrequent batting requires less hitting competence. The expression has been also extended to other realms to indicate a low-end cut-off point.
Another expression used in baseball to indicate that a hitter is not being effective is "On the Interstate", which derives from batting averages in the .1xx range looking similar to the route designations of the Interstate Highway System
in the United States, in which roads are referred to using "I" to indicate an Interstate Highway, and a number to indicate the specific route. Thus a batting average of .195 looks roughly similar to "I-95", and the batter is said to be "on the Interstate."
, played for the Pittsburgh Pirates
, Seattle Mariners
, and Texas Rangers
and usually struggled at the plate. Mendoza was known as a sub-.200 hitter whose average frequently fell into the .180 to .190 range during any particular year, even though his career figure reached .215.
The "Mendoza Line" was created as a harmless clubhouse joke among friends. "My teammates Tom Paciorek
and Bruce Bochte
used it to make fun of me," Mendoza said in 2010. "Then they were giving George Brett
a hard time because he had a slow start that year, so they told him, 'Hey, man, you're going to sink down below the Mendoza Line if you're not careful.' And then Brett mentioned it to Chris Berman from ESPN
, and eventually it spread and became a part of the game." Berman deflects credit back to Brett in popularizing the term. "Mario Mendoza — it's all George Brett," Berman said. "We used it all the time in those 1980s SportsCenter
s. It was just a humorous way to describe how someone was hitting."
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza
Mario Mendoza
Mario Mendoza Aizpuru is a former Major League Baseball infielder. Mendoza, a lifetime 0.215 hitter, is best known as the threshold for batting aptitude, with the "Mendoza Line", meaning a batting average of .200....
, whose lifetime batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. Even though Mendoza's career batting average over nine seasons (1974-1982) was .215, most often the cutoff point is said to be .200, and, when a position player's batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
falls below that level, the player is said to be below the Mendoza Line. This is often thought of as the offensive threshold below which a player's presence in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
cannot be justified, regardless of his defensive abilities. Pitchers are not held to this standard, since their specialized work and infrequent batting requires less hitting competence. The expression has been also extended to other realms to indicate a low-end cut-off point.
Another expression used in baseball to indicate that a hitter is not being effective is "On the Interstate", which derives from batting averages in the .1xx range looking similar to the route designations of the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
in the United States, in which roads are referred to using "I" to indicate an Interstate Highway, and a number to indicate the specific route. Thus a batting average of .195 looks roughly similar to "I-95", and the batter is said to be "on the Interstate."
Origin of the term
Mendoza, a flashy defensive player from Chihuahua, MexicoChihuahua, Mexico
Chihuahua, Mexico, may refer to:* The State of Chihuahua in Mexico* The City of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, its capital...
, played for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
, and Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
and usually struggled at the plate. Mendoza was known as a sub-.200 hitter whose average frequently fell into the .180 to .190 range during any particular year, even though his career figure reached .215.
The "Mendoza Line" was created as a harmless clubhouse joke among friends. "My teammates Tom Paciorek
Tom Paciorek
Thomas Marian Paciorek is a former Major League outfielder and first baseman for 18 seasons between 1970 and 1987...
and Bruce Bochte
Bruce Bochte
Not to be confused with Bruce Bochy, a former Major League Baseball player and current manager of the San Francisco Giants.Bruce Anton Bochte is a former utility baseball player with a 12 year career from -, -. He played for the California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners and Oakland...
used it to make fun of me," Mendoza said in 2010. "Then they were giving George Brett
George Brett (baseball)
George Howard Brett , nicknamed "Mullet", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th...
a hard time because he had a slow start that year, so they told him, 'Hey, man, you're going to sink down below the Mendoza Line if you're not careful.' And then Brett mentioned it to Chris Berman from ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, and eventually it spread and became a part of the game." Berman deflects credit back to Brett in popularizing the term. "Mario Mendoza — it's all George Brett," Berman said. "We used it all the time in those 1980s SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
s. It was just a humorous way to describe how someone was hitting."
Other uses
The term is also used outside of baseball to describe the line dividing acceptable mediocrity from unacceptable mediocrity:- "A sub-$2,000 per theater average... is the Mendoza Line of box office numbers..."
- "I don’t think you could find any other figure in politics who has run this far below the Mendoza line and still managed to get taken seriously as a presidential candidate."
- Republican pollster Neil Newhouse... argues that these numbers have crossed below the political 'Mendoza line'..."
- The U.S. 10-year note yield declined below 2%... before moving back above the Mendoza Line (baseball lingo for a batting average of .200), to 2.09% by early afternoon."