Miguel Batista #43

Miguel Jerez Batista Decart is a 1996 graduate of Nuevo Horizondes High School in Santo Domingo, DR...Has authored two books: "The Avenger of Blood" (novel) and a poetry book called "Sentimientos en Blanco y Negro" ("Feelings in Black and White")...Is working on a crime novel with a working title of "DNA 18."...In 2003, was cited as the Number One Good Guy in Major League Baseball by The Sporting News, for donating 11,000 books to the Navajo reservation libary...While playing for the Diamondbacks, made a $50,000 donation and built a baseball diamond with Native American groups in Arizona...The diamond was the first to be built on tribal land and was dedicated on August 5, 2003 in Sacaton, AZ...During the process, visited various tribes, slept in their housing and ate their native foods... While there, shared the teachings of Carib Indian grandmother...Was invited to be a judge at the 2011 Miss Iowa USA competition.

2011

Began the year with the St. Louis Cardinals...Was released on June 22...Signed by the Mets as a minor league free agent on July 5 and was assigned to Buffalo (AAA) of the International League...Had his contract selected on August 26...Earned his 100th career victory on September 1 vs. Florida...He became the fourth pitcher in major league history to record a century milestone win (100, 200, 300, 400 or 500) in his first game with a team...Jumbo McGinnis with Cincinnati of the American Association in 1887 (win number 100), Alex Kellner with the Cardinals in 1959 (#100) and Ron Darling with the A's in 1991 (#100)...He also became the fourth pitcher to record his first win with the Mets at age 40 or older, joining Roberto Hernandez, Orel Hershiser and Warren Spahn...The last pitcher to notch his 100th win at age 40 or older was Pittsburgh's Roy Face in 1968...Research courtesy of Elias...Also recorded the 1,200th strikeout of his career (Burke Badenhop) in the same start...Appeared in nine games, four starts, with the Mets from September 1-September 28...Went 2-0 with a 2.64 ERA (nine earned runs/30.2 innings) and held opposing batters to a .208 (22-106) batting average...Became the oldest pitcher in Mets history to throw a 9.0-inning complete-game shutout when he tossed a two-hitter in a 3-0 victory vs. Cincinnati on September 28...Recorded a season-high five strikeouts and walked two while throwing a season-high 123 pitches, 76 for strikes...The outing marked the fifth shutout and 11th complete game of his career...Went 3-0 in 10 games, eight starts, while with Buffalo (AAA)...The Bisons finished 7-3 in games in which he pitched...Went 2-1 with a 0.56 ERA (one earned run/16.0 innings) over 14 games, 13 relief appearances, from March 31-May 11 with St. Louis...Posted a 9.0-inning scoreless streak over nine appearances from April 22-May 11 with the St. Louis Cardinals...Allowed a run in five of his final seven appearances with St. Louis...Did not allow an earned run in 23 of his 35 major league appearances and held opposing batters to a career-best .225 (49-218) batting average against...Righthanded batters hit .193 (26-135) off him.

2010

Was 1-2 with a 3.70 ERA with 2 saves in 58 app. His 3.70 ERA was his lowest since 3.54 with Arizona in 2005 (193.1 IP). ... Durable reliever totaled 82.2 IP including 13 relief appearances of 2.0 IP or more with a season high of 5.0 IP. ... Made one spot start (Strasburg scratch) throwing 5.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball 7/27 vs. Atlanta. ... Posted best results against NL Central opponents last season with a 2.60 ERA in 12 appearances (17.1 IP). ... Was one of only two MLB relievers (Ramon Ramirez, SF) to appear in 55 or more games and not sustain a blown save. ... Finished strong allowing only 1 ER (0.87 ERA) in his final nine appearances through Sept./Oct. ... Pitched on zero days' rest on 12 occasions and fashioned a 3.13 ERA. ... Closed out 3-2 win, 5/10 at NYM, to pocket 40th career save, his first with the Nationals. Also garnered the save in season finale, a 2-1 win in 14 innings, 10/3 at NYM. ... Posted a career-best 7 relief strikeouts on 7/4 vs. NYM.

2009

Went 7-4 with 14 holds, one save and a 4.04 ERA in 56 appearances in final season with the Mariners...pitched exclusively in relief for the first time since 71-game, 31-save effort as TOR's closer in '05...14 holds were a single-season career high...team-best 7 relief wins tied for 3rd in MLB...only NYY's Alfredo Acevas (10) and MIN/OAK's Craig Breslow (8) posted more...from July 2 through season's end, posted a 2.72 ERA in 31 appearances...fanned 2 in a perfect 9th inning to grab lone save, October 3 vs. TEX...worked at least 2.0 innings 18 times...recorded ERA of 2.00 or less 3 times in 6 months (2.00 in April, 1.32 in June, 1.69 in August).

2008

Appeared in 44 games including 20 starts...tossed 115.0 innings, his lowest innings total since pitching exclusively out of the bullpen for Toronto in 2005...Was the only Major League pitcher to appear in 40 or more games while starting at least 20 of them...Went 3-9, 6.70 ERA (68 ER, 91.1 IP) as a starter...had 5 quality starts, but also gave up at least six earned runs four times (May 6 vs. TEX, May 16 vs. SD, July 19 vs. CLE, Aug. 4 vs. MIN)...Seattle lost 13 of his 20 starts...tossed fewer than 5.0 innings in 8 of those starts...Was 1-5 with a save and a 4.56 ERA (12 ER, 23.2 IP) as a reliever...Recorded 15 scoreless outings in first 19 relief appearances, April 2-Sept. 7...carried a 2.84 ERA (6 ER, 19.0 IP) in those games...Tossed 7.2 shutout innings April 20 at Los Angeles Angels giving up 8 hits, 1 walk and had a season-high 8 strikeouts...Recorded only save of the season, April 2 vs. Texas...first save since Sept. 27, 2005 at Boston while with Toronto...38th save of his career...Recorded his 4th win of the season, July 5 vs. Detroit, tossing relief season-high 2.0 shutout innings (2 H, K)...No-decision May 1 at Cleveland allowing one run in 7.0 innings, striking out 6...Held Boston to 2 earned runs in 7.0 IP May 27, but recorded a no-decision...In 5 quality starts, received only one victory and was credited with four no-decisions...Set career-high with 14 losses...previous high was 13 in 2004 with Toronto.

2007

Led club, and set career-high, with 16 wins...also led club with 18 quality starts...16 wins were T9th in the AL (Roy Halladay, TOR)...win total led all 2006 free-agent pitchers and was T2nd for most wins by a pitcher in his first season with Seattle (see box)...tied for team lead in starts (32), 2nd in innings (193.0) and strikeouts (133)...tossed at least 6.0 innings in 23 of 32 starts...allowed two or less earned runs in 20 of 32 starts, including 10 starts with one ER or less...matched career-high (4th time) with 4-game winning streak May 23-June 10...was 11-7, 3.70 (56 ER, 136.1 IP) from June 1-end of the season (23 G, 22 GS)...ejected from game on July 8 at Oakland after a bench clearing brawl...struck out Ian Kinsler (TEX) on Sept. 29 for career strikeout #1,000...was 3-0, 1.40 (4 ER, 25.2 IP) in final four starts of season (Sept. 12-29)...awarded "Words to Inspire" Award at the 2007 Latin Pride National Awards on Sept. 27 in Boston. POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: Started third and final

2006

Outside of ace Brandon Webb, Batista was one of the most consistent starters for Arizona in his first season back since serving as a closer for the Blue Jays in 2005. He went 11-8 with a 4.58 ERA. The 11 wins ties a career-high. Batista would have had more wins to his credit, but he did not earn a win in over a month from mid-August to mid-September when he reeled off five no-decisions and two losses.

2005

Batista led the American League in appearances by a relief ace. The right-hander converted 15 of 17 save opportunities and posted a 2.97 ERA before the All-Star break -- afterwards, he blew six of 22 chances and racked up a 5.35 mark. Eighteen of his appearances went more than one inning, and he got nine saves in those circumstances.

2004

Was 10-13 with a 4.80 ERA in 38 games... 10 wins were second on the team and one short of career high... 13 losses were a career high... Tied for the league lead (Zambrano-TB) with a career high 96 walks... Started the season as a starter and made a career high 31 starts... First 31 appearance were starts... Matched career best with two complete games and one shutout... Was moved to the bullpen in September where he made seven appearances... ASASTARTER: Was 10-12 with a 4.88 ERA... Blue Jays were 14-17 in his starts... Made a team high 17 quality starts... In 18 of his last 28 starts allowed three or fewer earned runs... Worked 7.0 plus innings in 15 of his outings, with the Blue Jays going 9-6 in those starts... Worked 8.0 or more innings four times, with Jays at 2-2... In his 12 losses as a starter the Blue Jays scored a combined 32 runs... Prior to the ASB was 8-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 19 starts... Made his Blue Jays debut on April 6 at SkyDome vs. DET and was the losing pitcher in a 7-3 loss... May 2 at CWS pitched his 6th career complete game (8.0 inning 3-2 loss) and first in the AL... May 13 vs. BOS picked up first win as a Blue Jay, 8th start... June 9 vs. LA pitched a CG-ShO (4H, 2BB, 8K) 3rd shutout of his ML career, 7th complete game... June 15 at SF allowed two runs in the 4th, snapping a career best 19.0 consecutive scoreless innings... June 20 thru July 6 won a career high four straight, posting a 2.30 ERA during the streak (7ER/27.1IP)... First inning of work on June 26 vs. MONwas 1000th career inning... Had the 2nd lowest ERA in the AL for the month of June at 1.93 (8ER/37.1IP)... In 12 starts after the ASB was 2-6 with a 6.45 ERA... Recorded one win in his last 10 starts... Last start was a 9-5 loss on Sept. 16 vs. BAL... IN RELIEF: Was 0-1 with a 3.12 ERA... Recorded a career high five saves, converting all five chances... Made first relief outing on Sept. 18 vs. TB and collected firstMLsave since Oct. 2, 1999 at PHI... Recorded a save in each of his first three appearances... Four of five saves were 1.0 inning, one 2.0 inning save... WHAT THE HITTERS THOUGHT: Opponents batted .273... Held opponents to a .273 mark as both a starter and reliever... LH hitters are batted .264, RH hitters batted .285... At SkyDome opp. batted .277, on the road .267... Allowed 22 home runs, 11 to LH hitters... Allowed 14 home runs at SkyDome.

2003

Once again, Miguel displayed the versatility that has made him an integral part of the pitching staff ... for the third consecutive year, he began the season in the bullpen before eventually moving into the starting rotation, finishing the year tied with rookie sensations Brandon Webb and Oscar Villarreal for the team lead in wins with 10, Batista's second career season with double-digit victories (11, 2001) ... his 3.54 ERA finished 12th in the National League, while he established personal bests in strikeouts (142) and innings (193.1) ... his best success occurred outside the NL West, going 7-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 18 games (16 start) vs. non-divisional opponents ... his first six appearances were out of the bullpen, going 0-2 allowing six runs on 14 hits in 10.0 innings ... Miguel made his first start on April 16, taking over for an injured Randy Johnson, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits over 6.0 innings against the Rockies ... his next start came on three days rest in St. Louis, giving up just three hits over 4.0 shutout innings before hitting the Cards' Tino Martinez with a pitch to begin the fifth ... following a fielder's choice, the Redbird first baseman charged Batista, initiating a bench-clearing brawl ... both combatants were ejected and although a disciplinary decision was not immediately handed down, Miguel was later suspended for 10 games ... he won three consecutive starts from April 30-May 11, matching his career-best win streak and posting a 0.82 ERA ... he began the streak by allowing a run to the Marlins over 7.0 innings ... he followed on May 5 with his fourth career complete game, yielding an unearned run to the Phillies on seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts ... in his final start of the stretch, Miguel limited the Pirates to a run on five hits in 6.0 innings on the mound ... his appeal of a 10-game suspension was heard on May 12 in Philly, but he wound up serving the entire stint from May 23-June 2 ... upon returning to action, he went 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in June and 1-3 with a 2.18 ERA and a .218 opponents average during July ... he made his final relief appearance of the year on June 6 with 2.2 scoreless frames vs. Cleveland ... upon resuming his spot in the rotation, Miguel again tied his career-high with three consecutive triumphs from June 14-24 ... in the first start of the streak, he limited the Twins to four hits and an unearned run over 6.0 innings at the Metrodome ... he had seven strikeouts in the game, including the 500th of his big-league career when he fanned Justin Morneau in the first ... Batista completed the streak with back-to-back victories over the Astros on June 19 and 24 ... in his first start after the mid-season break on July 18 in San Diego, he blanked the Padres on five hits with his second career shutout (first since June 5, 1999, at Toronto as an Expo) ... Miguel absorbed a 3-2 defeat in Florida on July 28 despite posting a career-high 11 strikeouts, his first career double-digit strikeout game ... he switched to uniform #25 after giving his familiar #43 to Raul Mondesi after the outfielder was acquired from the Yankees on July 29 ... in 11 games (10 starts) after returning from his MLB imposed 10-game suspension, Batista went 4-3 with a 2.42 ERA, allowing 19 earned runs in 70.2 innings ... in his final 11 starts after the uniform switch, Miguel was 3-3 with a 5.18 ERA (37 earned runs in 64.1 innings) ... he snapped a three-game slide with a 13-2 victory over the Cubs on August 23, yielding two unearned runs over 6.0 innings, then closed August with another win, knocking off the Giants 5-4 on August 29 ... at the plate, he was 4-for-57 with a double, 4 sacrifice bunts and a walk ... half of his four hits came in his second career two-hit game on August 7 vs. Montreal ... Miguel was named the #1 Good Guy in Major League Baseball by The Sporting News for his off field contributions

How obtained:
Signed as a free agent, November 15, 2000.

2002

Miguel's versatility proved a valuable asset once again, though the majority of his relief work was limited to the first few weeks of the season...he worked out of the pen in 6 of his first 7 outings, with the lone start in that stretch resulting in a 6-3 victory over the Rockies on April 14, completing the first-ever 4-game sweep of Colorado in Coors Field...Batista became a staple in the rotation on April 27, making 28 starts over his final 29 appearances of the year...despite an 8-9 record, Miguel did not have a lot of margin for error in any of his defeats, with the Arizona offense scoring 3 runs or less in each of the losses, totaling 17 runs, including 4 games in which the D'Backs could muster only 1 run...to display how well he pitched, the Diamondbacks were winners in 7 of his 11 no decisions...taking it a step further, in 2 of his no decisions, Miguel tossed shutout ball, only to leave and have the club come up on the short end of a 1-0 final in each instance...both of those starts took place in Pacific Bell Park, as Batista threw 9.0 innings of 1-hit, shutout ball on May 28, the lone knock a fourth inning single by Jeff Kent...Miguel left the contest locked in a scoreless tie, with the Giants breaking through in the 10th...he later fired 7.0 shutout frames in Pac Bell on September 6, scattering 4 hits, but also left in a scoreless tie with San Francisco winning in the ninth...another sterling performance by Batista was at home on July 24, knocking off the Rockies by a 7-1 count...it was his third career complete game, first since June 5, 1999, spanning 50 starts, allowing a first inning homer to Todd Helton, then giving up 2 hits the rest of the way...Miggie had another of his tough no decisions at home on August 9 against Florida, firing 8.0 shutout innings of 2-hit ball and leaving with a 1-0 lead, but the Fish tied the contest after his departure...fortunately, Erubiel Durazo hit his second solo homer of the game, a walk-off shot for a 2-1 Arizona win...Batista posted a pair of interleague wins when the D'Backs toured 2 of baseball's shrines, opening the road trip with a 7-5 win in Fenway Park on June 7, then closing the excursion with a 9-5 victory in Yankee Stadium, Arizona's first-ever win in 6 tries in the Bronx...Miguel had mid-season problems with a blister on his middle finger, actually resorting to "superglue" to toughen the skin in the affected area...he did not allow a home run in his last 8 regular season starting assignments, spanning 45.2 innings, and only 1 in his last 60.2 frames, a first inning homer to Sammy Sosa on August 17...not known for his hitting prowess, entering the year with an .081 career average (9-for-111), Batista established a personal best with 8 hits, 1 more than he had with Montreal in 1999...included was his second career home run, a solo shot off of Los Angeles' Kazuhisa Ishii on June 2 in Dodger Stadium...Miguel got the nod in the third and final NLDS game against the Cardinals, dropping a 6-3 decision in Busch Stadium...he worked 3.2 innings allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks with a strikeout.

2001

Miguel proved an invaluable piece of the pitching puzzle during the 2001 season, serving in a variety of roles on the mound while compiling a career-high with 11 victories, 3 more than with Montreal in 1999 ... he was a quiet off-season free agent acquisition that didn't get a lot of publicity, but he was in a battle for a spot in the starting rotation through spring training and though he opened the year in the pen, he assumed a starting role entering the post-season ... he closed the year an integral part of the rotation allowing just 2 earned runs over his final 3 starts, spanning 19.0 innings, a 0.95 ERA ... included were wins over N.L. West rival Los Angeles during the stretch run, combining a pair of 7-inning performances to allow only 1 run on 8 hits ... he was a 10-0 winner in Dodger Stadium on September 29, then just 8 days later he backed it up with an 8-1 win ... dating back to a relief appearance on September 2 at San Diego, Miguel gave up only 6 earned runs over his final 25.1 regular season innings for a 2.13 ERA ... after 6 relief appearances to open the season, Miguel was summoned for his first of 18 starts ... he had consecutive no decisions at home against Florida and Atlanta to close April, then returned to the pen for 7 outings ... he posted his first win as a Diamondback on May 9 vs.Cincinnati, working a perfect inning of relief in a 5-2 decision ... a consistent performer all year, Batista grabbed everyone's attention during Arizona's late-May road trip through San Diego and San Francisco ... he was the starter in Qualcomm Stadium on May 24, allowing no earned runs over 4.2 innings of a game the D'Backs dropped, 3-1 ... only 4 days later on May 28 in San Francisco he was summoned from the bullpen to work 2.0 innings in Pacific Bell Park, retiring all 6 men he faced and reaped the benefit of a 12th inning homer by Mark Grace for a 2-1 victory ... the next night he was called upon once again in Pac Bell to toss 4.0 frames of relief, allowing 3 hits in earning the victory in Arizona's longest game on record, a 1-0 triumph in 18 innings that took 5 hours, 53 minutes to complete ... all told, that road trip signaled the start of a stretch for Batista in which he worked 7 times totaling 17.0 innings allowing 7 hits and no earned runs, dropping his overall ERA to a season-low 2.85 ... his first win as a starter came on July 16 in his ninth start of the year, knocking off the team with baseball's best record, a 5-3 triumph over the Mariners in frenetic Safeco Field, holding the A.L.West champs to 3 runs over 5.1 innings ... it was his first win as a starter since May 17, 2000 ... when called upon out of the pen he retired 24 of the 30 first batters he faced, an 80% success rate including 16 in a row from June 2-September 26.
2001 Postseason: Miguel's first career post-season test featured 6 overall appearances, working once in relief and once as a starter in each tier ... it began in Game #2 of the Division Series against the Cardinals with 0.2 of an inning, followed just 2 nights later with a win as the starter in Game #3 at Busch Stadium to give the D'Backs a 2-1 lead in the series ... the resilient righthander worked 6.0 frames in the 5-3 victory allowing 2 runs on 3 hits with a walk and 4 strikeouts ... Batista's lone loss occurred as the starter in Game #2 of the NLCS against Atlanta, dropping an 8-1 decision ... he surrendered a home run to Marcus Giles on the first pitch of the game, the third game opening homer in NLCS history ... Miguel settled in after the roundtripper and kept the Braves off the board until Javy Lopez hit a 2-run shot in the seventh ... all told, Batista allowed 3 runs on 2 hits over a 7-inning stint ... he was summoned in relief in Arizona's 11-4 win in Game #4 at Turner Field, allowing a run on 3 hits in no official innings ... Miguel's next experience was as the starter in Game #5 at Yankee Stadium and he responded with a magnificent 7.2 shutout innings, his longest outing of 2001, allowing only 5 hits with 5 walks and 6 K's ... he threw 126 pitches and left the contest with a 2-0 lead, but the Yanks tied the contest with 2-out in the ninth and took a 3-2 series lead when they snapped the tie in the 12th ... Miguel's final appearance of the year was in Game #7 when he retired the only Yankee he faced and help set the stage for Arizona's ninth inning heroics ... all told, Batista worked 21.2 innings in the post-season allowing 6 earned runs for a 2.49 ERA while limiting opposing hitters to an overall .173 average.

2000

Began the year with Montreal but was solved for at least 3 earned runs in each of his 4 appearances with the Expos and was subsequently traded to Kansas City on April 25 for pitcher Brad Rigby ... Miguel had an outstanding debut with the Royals, tossing 4.0 shutout innings of 1-hit ball in a victory over Seattle ... the outing earned him a spot in the starting rotation, appearing 9 times but going 1-6 with a 6.56 ERA ... included was a 5-game losing streak from May 23-June 12 ... he returned to bullpen duty, working 4 times before being designated for assignment on June 28 ... Batista was outrighted to Omaha on July 7, finishing the year with the AAA affiliate, working 3.0 innings and incurring a loss in his lone start ... he finished the year by going 2-1 with 3 saves and a 4.97 ERA in 17 relief appearances.

1999

Worked in a variety of roles on the Montreal pitching staff, serving as a starter, long reliever and set-up man & he began the year as a starter for the first time in his career, winning Montreal's home opener against the Mets with 7.1 innings in a 5-1 victory & fired his lone career complete game on April 14 vs. the Brewers, tossing a 6-hitter in a 15-1 victory & he posted a 6-2 mark and 3.56 ERA to open the year, climaxing with a 3-game winning streak & was handed a trio of consecutive losses and landed in the bullpen, working there until late-September & spent 25 days on the disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle from July 16-August 9 & a career 0-for-42 at the plate, Batista snapped the 0'fer with an infield hit on April 8 & he connected for the only home run of his career on May 24 in Philly, hitting a 2-run shot off of Joel Bennett in the fifth inning for a 4-2 lead (Miguel eventually incurred a 5-4 loss) & earned lone career save on October 2 at Philadelphia with 3.0 innings.

1998

Proved versatility in his first full season in the majors, working predominately in relief but was called upon for 13 starts, going 2-2 with a 3.08 ERA in that role & was particularly sharp as season wound down, going 1-0 with a 2.27 mark in his last 6 starts & posted first major league win on May 15 in Los Angeles, tossing 7.2 innings of a 4-2 triumph, his 33rd big league appearance.

1997

Lone season in the Cub chain, he opened the year with Iowa (AAA) appearing in 31 games (14 starts) & opponents hit just .229 (81-for-353) in his starts while working at least 6.0 innings in 13 of the 14 assignments & had his contract purchased by the big league club on August 10 and spent the final 6 weeks with Chicago, going 0-5 with a 5.70 ERA in 11 games (6 starts) & first major league start was a tough 2-1 loss to Chan Ho Park and the Dodgers in Los Angeles on August 11.

1996

Spent the majority of the season with Charlotte (AAA) in the Florida organization, but was recalled on August 8 and made his Marlin debut with a scoreless 9th inning against the Mets & it was Miguel's first big league action since the '92 season.

1995

Split the year between starting and relieving for Charlotte, his first year in the Marlins' chain.

1994

Appeared in just 3 games for Harrisburg (AA) due to a season-long stint on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain.

1993

Finished second in the Eastern League with 13 victories for Harrisburgb&gave up just 11 home runs in 141.0 innings.

1992

Opened the year on Pittsburgh's major league club by virtue of being a Rule V selection the previous December & pitched once allowing 2 runs in 2.0 innings at Philly on April 11 and was returned to the Montreal organization on April 23 & made 24 starts for West Palm Beach (A) upon his return.

1991

Surrendered just one home run in 133.2 innings of work with Rockford (A).

1990

His first action on U.S. soil, Batista totaled 12 appearances with Gulf Coast (Rookie) and Rockford.

1989

Spent the entire season with the Expos' Dominican Summer League team.

1988

Began his professional career with the Expos' Dominican Summer League team.