What years did Jose Mesa play?

Jose Mesa played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2007.

Was Jose Mesa a pitcher?

Yes. Jose Mesa pitched in the major leagues, recording 80 wins and 1038 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Jose Mesa hit?

Jose Mesa hit 0 career home runs.

What was Jose Mesa's career batting average?

Jose Mesa batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 2 at bats.

What was Jose Mesa's career ERA?

Jose Mesa finished with a 4.36 career ERA, going 80-109 with 1,038 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Jose Mesa have?

Jose Mesa recorded 1,038 career strikeouts.

Jose Mesa

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1987-2007)

Jose Mesa was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2007 for 8 teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 21 seasons. Across 1,022 career appearances, he went 80-109 with a 4.36 ERA, 1,038 strikeouts, and 321 saves. Jose Mesa was a 2-time All-Star and a Reliever of the Year.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated September 8, 2026

W–L 80–109

ERA 4.36

WHIP 1.47

SO 1,038

Pitcher PIV -373.5

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 170 lb
Born: 5/22/1966 in Pueblo Viejo, Azua, D.R.
MLB Debut: 1987-09-10
Last Game: 2007-09-29
Awards: 2× All-Star · Reliever of the Year

Full name: Jose Ramon Nova Mesa

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jose Mesa — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
80	109	1,022	95	6	2	321	1548.7	1,629	750	151	651	1,038	4.36	-373.5

Career ERA 4.36 vs. league average 4.36 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jose Mesa Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1987	BAL	AL	1	3	6	5	0	0	0	31.3	38	21	15	17	6.03	4.29 (-40%)	-1435.7
1990	BAL	AL	3	2	7	7	0	0	0	46.7	37	20	27	24	3.86	3.86 (avg)	-321.5
1991	BAL	AL	6	11	23	23	2	1	0	123.7	151	82	62	64	5.97	3.91 (-53%)	-1986.7
1992	BAL	AL	3	8	13	12	0	0	0	67.7	77	39	27	22	5.19	3.75 (-38%)	-2372.1
1992	CLE	AL	4	4	15	15	1	1	0	93.0	92	43	43	40	4.16	3.75 (-11%)	-762.6
1993	CLE	AL	10	12	34	33	3	0	0	208.7	232	114	62	118	4.92	4.19 (-17%)	179.2
1994	CLE	AL	7	5	51	0	0	0	2	73.0	71	31	26	63	3.82	4.51 (+15%)	2557.5
1995	CLE	AL	3	0	62	0	0	0	46	64.0	49	8	17	58	1.12	4.45 (+75%)	2843.4
1996	CLE	AL	2	7	69	0	0	0	39	72.3	69	30	28	64	3.73	4.61 (+19%)	1550.6
1997	CLE	AL	4	4	66	0	0	0	16	82.3	83	22	28	69	2.40	4.39 (+45%)	1510.3
1998	CLE	AL	3	4	44	0	0	0	1	54.0	61	31	20	35	5.17	4.43 (-17%)	-580.1
1998	SFN	NL	5	3	32	0	0	0	0	30.7	30	12	18	28	3.52	4.43 (+21%)	720.4
1999	SEA	AL	3	6	68	0	0	0	33	68.7	84	38	40	42	4.98	4.71 (-6%)	-2072.1
2000	SEA	AL	4	6	66	0	0	0	1	80.7	89	48	41	84	5.36	4.77 (-12%)	480.9
2001	PHI	NL	3	3	71	0	0	0	42	69.3	65	18	20	59	2.34	4.42 (+47%)	2405.7
2002	PHI	NL	4	6	74	0	0	0	45	75.7	65	25	39	64	2.97	4.28 (+31%)	852.5
2003	PHI	NL	5	7	61	0	0	0	24	58.0	71	42	31	45	6.52	4.40 (-48%)	-441.1
2004	PIT	NL	5	2	70	0	0	0	43	69.3	78	25	20	37	3.25	4.46 (+27%)	789.5
2005	PIT	NL	2	8	55	0	0	0	27	56.7	61	30	26	37	4.76	4.29 (-11%)	-799.5
2006	COL	NL	1	5	79	0	0	0	1	72.3	73	31	36	39	3.86	4.53 (+15%)	-1554.3
2007	DET	AL	1	1	16	0	0	0	0	11.7	19	16	6	9	12.34	4.47 (-176%)	-615.2
2007	PHI	NL	1	2	40	0	0	0	1	39.0	34	24	19	20	5.54	4.47 (-24%)	-1322.3
Career · 22 seasons			80	109	1,022	95	6	2	321	1,548.2	1,629	750	651	1,038	4.36	—	-374

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Jose Mesa — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1,023	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.333	.000	.333	0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .333 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .417 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS .333 vs. league average .751 across their career seasons — 55.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jose Mesa Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1987	BAL	AL	6	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	BAL	AL	7	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	BAL	AL	24	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	BAL	AL	13	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	CLE	AL	15	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1993	CLE	AL	34	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1994	CLE	AL	51	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1995	CLE	AL	62	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1996	CLE	AL	69	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1997	CLE	AL	66	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1998	CLE	AL	44	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1998	SFN	NL	32	0	1	1	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1999	SEA	AL	68	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2000	SEA	AL	66	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2001	PHI	NL	71	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2002	PHI	NL	74	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2003	PHI	NL	61	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2004	PIT	NL	70	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2005	PIT	NL	55	1	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2006	COL	NL	79	1	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2007	DET	AL	16	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2007	PHI	NL	40	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 22 seasons			1,023	2	1	1	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Jose Mesa — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
27	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Jose Mesa — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AVG
2007	NLDS2	PHI	1	.000
2000	ALCS	SEA	3	.000
2000	ALDS2	SEA	2	.000
1997	ALCS	CLE	4	.000
1997	ALDS1	CLE	2	.000
1997	WS	CLE	5	.000
1996	ALDS1	CLE	2	.000
1995	ALCS	CLE	4	.000
1995	ALDS1	CLE	2	.000
1995	WS	CLE	2	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Jose Mesa — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
3	1	27	0	6	35.0	42	20	15	29	5.14

Playoff Pitching by Year

Jose Mesa — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2007	NLDS2	PHI	0	0	1	0	0.3	1	3	2	0	81.00
2000	ALCS	SEA	0	0	3	0	4.3	5	6	3	3	12.46
2000	ALDS2	SEA	1	0	2	0	2.0	0	0	1	2	0.00
1997	ALCS	CLE	1	0	4	2	5.3	5	2	3	5	3.38
1997	ALDS1	CLE	0	0	2	1	3.3	5	1	1	2	2.70
1997	WS	CLE	0	0	5	1	5.0	10	3	1	5	5.40
1996	ALDS1	CLE	0	1	2	0	4.7	8	2	0	7	3.86
1995	ALCS	CLE	0	0	4	1	4.0	3	1	1	1	2.25
1995	ALDS1	CLE	0	0	2	0	2.0	0	0	2	0	0.00
1995	WS	CLE	1	0	2	1	4.0	5	2	1	4	4.50

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (2043 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Jose Mesa — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	532	2	0	0	0	0	.000
Away	490	0	1	0	0	0	—

Pitching — Home / Away

Jose Mesa — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	531	805.1	801	376	333	562	4.20
Away	490	742.2	826	373	318	476	4.52

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jose Mesa — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
2007-09-29	PHI	WAS	—	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0
2007-09-25	PHI	ATL	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2007-09-18	PHI	STL	W	2.0	0	0	0	1	2	0
2007-09-17	PHI	STL	—	1.0	1	1	1	0	0	0
2007-09-13	PHI	COL	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2007-09-12	PHI	COL	—	1.0	2	1	1	0	2	0
2007-09-10	PHI	COL	—	0.0	1	2	2	1	0	1
2007-09-07	PHI	MIA	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2007-09-01	PHI	MIA	—	2.0	3	2	2	1	1	0
2007-08-30	PHI	NYN	—	0.2	0	0	0	1	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jose Mesa — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	1022	95	112	197	17	11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jose Mesa — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1987	BAL	P	6	5	1	1	0	0
1990	BAL	P	7	7	3	5	1	1
1991	BAL	P	23	23	17	17	0	0
1992	BAL	P	13	12	8	9	1	0
1992	CLE	P	15	15	4	12	1	0
1993	CLE	P	34	33	15	29	3	0
1994	CLE	P	51	0	3	11	2	0
1995	CLE	P	62	0	6	10	1	0
1996	CLE	P	69	0	5	3	1	1
1997	CLE	P	66	0	5	7	1	2
1998	CLE	P	44	0	4	10	1	1
1998	SFN	P	32	0	1	1	1	0
1999	SEA	P	68	0	11	7	1	2
2000	SEA	P	66	0	7	8	0	0
2001	PHI	P	71	0	4	9	0	0
2002	PHI	P	74	0	4	16	0	0
2003	PHI	P	61	0	4	2	1	0
2004	PIT	P	70	0	4	11	0	1
2005	PIT	P	55	0	2	13	1	1
2006	COL	P	79	0	2	11	1	2
2007	DET	P	16	0	0	1	0	0
2007	PHI	P	40	0	2	4	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jose Mesa Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	1022

Awards & Honors

Jose Mesa — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
2005	Reliever of the Month	April
2001	Player of the Week	Week of 2001-09-22
1995	Player of the Week	Week of 1995-08-19
1995	Reliever of the Year Award
1995	TSN Fireman of the Year

Salary History

Jose Mesa — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
2007	DET	AL	$2,500,000
2006	COL	NL	$2,000,000
2005	PIT	NL	$2,000,000
2004	PIT	NL	$800,000
2003	PHI	NL	$5,200,000
2002	PHI	NL	$4,200,000
2001	PHI	NL	$2,900,000
2000	SEA	AL	$3,950,000
1999	SEA	AL	$2,850,000
1998	CLE	AL	$1,700,000
1997	CLE	AL	$1,947,223
1996	CLE	AL	$1,872,223
1995	CLE	AL	$1,447,223
1994	CLE	AL	$600,000
1993	CLE	AL	$325,000
1992	CLE	AL	$135,000
1991	BAL	AL	$107,000
1988	BAL	AL	$62,500
Total Career Earnings			$34,596,169

Award Voting History

Jose Mesa — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1995	Cy Young Award	AL	2nd	54.0	140	2
1995	Most Valuable Player	AL	4th	130.0	392	1

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Jose Mesa (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jose Mesa

What years did Jose Mesa play?: Jose Mesa played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2007.
Was Jose Mesa a pitcher?: Yes. Jose Mesa pitched in the major leagues, recording 80 wins and 1038 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jose Mesa hit?: Jose Mesa hit 0 career home runs.
What was Jose Mesa's career batting average?: Jose Mesa batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 2 at bats.
What was Jose Mesa's career ERA?: Jose Mesa finished with a 4.36 career ERA, going 80-109 with 1,038 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jose Mesa have?: Jose Mesa recorded 1,038 career strikeouts.