Armando Germán Benítez [beh-NEE-tez] (born November 3, 1972) in Ramón Santana, Dominican Republic), is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants. He is known for his lively fastball, which occasionally reaches 100 MPH, and his crafty splitter.

Benítez was signed in 1990 by the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent. Coming up through the Orioles' farm system, he made his debut in 1994. While with the Orioles, he initially struggled, collecting a 5.66 ERA in 1995 and faltering in the postseason frequently. [1] Nevertheless, he started to show some of his future potential in 1998, earning a 3.82 ERA and 22 saves in 71 games.

Before the 1999 season, Benítez was traded to the New York Mets for Charles Johnson. During his first four seasons in New York, he became one of the Major Leagues' elite closers, saving 139 games. This put several playoff contenders in demand for his services. Midway through 2003, Benítez was traded to the New York Yankees, who intended to use him as a setup man for Mariano Rivera. Benítez had a 1.93 ERA in nine games before being traded again to the Seattle Mariners, where he finished the season.

In 2004, Benítez once again became a closer, taking a pay cut to join the Florida Marlins for one year. 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 his first game of the season, he did not allow another earned run until June 5, after an impressive streak of 30 scoreless innings. [2] After the season, Benítez elected to become a free agent, signing a three-year contract with the San Francisco Giants that was worth a reported US$21 million.

Accomplishments

• Twice All-Star (2003-04)
• National League Relief Man of the Year Award (2001)
• Led NL in saves (47, 2004)

Teams

• Baltimore Orioles (1994-98)
• New York Mets (1999-2003)
• New York Yankees (2003)
• Seattle Mariners (2003)
• Florida Marlins (2004)
• San Francisco Giants (since 2005)

External links

• ESPN (profile and daily updates)
• Baseball Reference (career statistics and analysis)