Name: Damaso Marte
Rank: 193
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 2002-2005
Damaso Marte was acquired by the White Sox from the Pirates towards the end of spring training in 2002 in exchange for Matt Guerrier. The trade quickly paid dividends, as Marte became on of the most reliable arms in the White Sox bullpen during the 2002 season. He compiled a 2.83 ERA in 68 games, converting 10 saves in the process.
In 2003, Marte was even more successful. He lowered his ERA by over a run and saved 11 games in 71 appearances. 2004 started a slight decline for Marte, as his ERA jumped nearly 2 full runs. He appeared in 74 games, but his innings pitched dropped from the year before.
Marte’s fortunes fell a little more in 2005, as he took on a new role in the bullpen. While the White Sox held on to first place in the AL Central, Marte’s ERA rose again, while he put up his lowest totals in a White Sox uniform in games, saves, and innings pitched.
His most famous moment in a White Sox uniform, and perhaps his lowest, was his appearance in game 3 of the 2005 ALDS against the Red Sox. After Freddy Garcia gave up a leadoff home run to Manny Ramirez in the bottom of the 6th to cut the White Sox lead to 1 run, Marte came in to replace him. He gave up a single to Trot Nixon and then walked the next two batters before being replaced by Orlando Hernandez, leaving him the bases loaded and nobody out.
That likely would have been his final appearance with the White Sox, had game 3 of the World Series not gone 14 innings. Marte entered the game in the bottom of the 13th, becoming the 8th pitcher of the evening for the White Sox. He got through the 13th relatively unscathed, but ran in to some issues in the 14th, thanks to a walk and an error. He was replaced by Mark Buehrle, who got the final out, giving Marte the win.
With the cleanup of the ticker tape parade barely completed, the White Sox shipped Damaso Marte out of town, sending him back to the Pirates in exchange for Rob Mackowiak.
Marte’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
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It’s been 3 years (to the day) and 121 games since we last looked at the single game leaders in offensive categories for all the games I have attended in person. There are some new names of the list that weren’t there when we first looked in 2012 and again in 2015.