Mendoza Line

or Men·do·za line

[ men-doh-zuh lahyn ]

noun

, Baseball.

1. an unimpressive and disappointing batting average of .200:

   If you’re gonna keep hitting below the Mendoza Line, you’d better learn how to pitch or find another career.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mendoza Line¹

First recorded in 1975–80; named after Mario Mendoza Aizpuru (born 1950), Mexican baseball shortstop whose batting average was consistently around .200

Example Sentences

But for a player stuck around the Mendoza line the past two years, the improvements he has made to this point have nonetheless come as a sigh of relief, and source of auspicious belief.

From Los Angeles Times

“Belly” became the Dodgers’ chief rally killer as he flirted with the Mendoza Line most of his last two years with the team.

From Los Angeles Times

He brushes off the notion that he and Paciorek were the originators of the term “the Mendoza Line” — a theory put forth by former Mariner Mario Mendoza himself.

From Seattle Times

Cleanup hitter Max Muncy is barely over the Mendoza line but leads the team in homers and runs batted in.

From Los Angeles Times

The next batter, shortstop Miguel Rojas, began the day with a .208 batting average, one of several players flirting with the Mendoza line on a Dodgers team that still somehow leads the National League in scoring.

From Los Angeles Times