Mark Portugal
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1985-1999)
Mark Portugal was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1999 for 6 teams, including the Minnesota Twins, a span of 15 seasons. Across 346 career appearances, he went 109-95 with a 4.03 ERA and 1,134 strikeouts. He also batted .198 with 2 home runs. Mark Portugal was a Silver Slugger.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1985-08-14
- Last Game
- 1999-09-22
- Awards
- Silver Slugger
Full name: Mark Steven Portugal
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | MIN | AL | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24.1 | 24 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 5.55 | 3.89 (-42%) | -689.4 |
| 1986 | MIN | AL | 6 | 10 | 27 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 112.2 | 112 | 54 | 50 | 67 | 4.31 | 3.97 (-9%) | -340.8 |
| 1987 | MIN | AL | 1 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44.0 | 58 | 38 | 24 | 28 | 7.77 | 4.29 (-81%) | -3135.3 |
| 1988 | MIN | AL | 3 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 57.2 | 60 | 29 | 17 | 31 | 4.53 | 3.73 (-21%) | -1984.3 |
| 1989 | HOU | NL | 7 | 1 | 20 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 108.0 | 91 | 33 | 37 | 86 | 2.75 | 3.71 (+26%) | 1695.0 |
| 1990 | HOU | NL | 11 | 10 | 32 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 196.2 | 187 | 79 | 67 | 136 | 3.62 | 3.86 (+6%) | -172.8 |
| 1991 | HOU | NL | 10 | 12 | 32 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 168.1 | 163 | 84 | 59 | 120 | 4.49 | 3.91 (-15%) | -308.1 |
| 1992 | HOU | NL | 6 | 3 | 18 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 101.1 | 76 | 30 | 41 | 62 | 2.66 | 3.75 (+29%) | 115.2 |
| 1993 | HOU | NL | 18 | 4 | 33 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 208.0 | 194 | 64 | 77 | 131 | 2.77 | 4.19 (+34%) | 3625.6 |
| 1994 | SFN | NL | 10 | 8 | 21 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 137.1 | 135 | 60 | 45 | 87 | 3.93 | 4.51 (+13%) | -259.9 |
| 1995 | SFN | NL | 5 | 5 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 104.0 | 106 | 48 | 34 | 63 | 4.15 | 4.45 (+7%) | 719.4 |
| 1995 | CIN | NL | 6 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77.2 | 79 | 33 | 22 | 33 | 3.82 | 4.45 (+14%) | 195.1 |
| 1996 | CIN | NL | 8 | 9 | 27 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 156.0 | 146 | 69 | 42 | 93 | 3.98 | 4.61 (+14%) | 478.3 |
| 1997 | PHI | NL | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.2 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4.61 | 4.39 (-5%) | 162.9 |
| 1998 | PHI | NL | 10 | 5 | 26 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 166.1 | 186 | 82 | 32 | 104 | 4.44 | 4.43 (avg) | -575.4 |
| 1999 | BOS | AL | 7 | 12 | 31 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 150.1 | 179 | 92 | 41 | 79 | 5.51 | 4.71 (-17%) | -2607.5 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 109 | 95 | 346 | 283 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 1,826.1 | 1,813 | 817 | 607 | 1,134 | 4.03 | — | -3,082 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 348 | 450 | 33 | 89 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 20 | 87 | .198 | .232 | .260 | .492 | -1,149 |
Career AVG .198 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 24.6% below league average.
Career OBP .232 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 29.9% below league average.
Career SLG .260 vs. league average .404 across their career seasons — 35.6% below league average.
Career OPS .492 vs. league average .734 across their career seasons — 33.0% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | MIN | AL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | MIN | AL | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | MIN | AL | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | MIN | AL | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | HOU | NL | 20 | 34 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .206 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | HOU | NL | 32 | 66 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .136 | .257 (-47%) | .324 (-54%) | .385 (-65%) | .710 (-60%) | -614.0 |
| 1991 | HOU | NL | 33 | 46 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .196 | — | — | — | — | -220.6 |
| 1992 | HOU | NL | 18 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .107 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1993 | HOU | NL | 33 | 65 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 13 | .231 | .265 (-13%) | .332 (-23%) | .403 (-31%) | .735 (-27%) | -303.2 |
| 1994 | SFN | NL | 21 | 48 | 4 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .354 | — | — | — | — | 78.1 |
| 1995 | SFN | NL | 17 | 29 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .103 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1995 | CIN | NL | 14 | 29 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .172 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1996 | CIN | NL | 28 | 48 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1997 | PHI | NL | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1998 | PHI | NL | 26 | 50 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 10 | .260 | .266 (-2%) | .335 (-6%) | .420 (-14%) | .755 (-11%) | -89.8 |
| 1999 | BOS | AL | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 348 | 450 | 33 | 89 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 20 | 87 | .198 | — | — | — | — | -1,149 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (694 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 169 | 212 | 17 | 46 | 2 | 18 | .217 |
| Away | 179 | 238 | 16 | 43 | 0 | 18 | .181 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 169 | 898.2 | 900 | 365 | 275 | 583 | 3.66 |
| Away | 177 | 927.2 | 913 | 452 | 332 | 551 | 4.39 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-09-22 | BOS | TOR | — | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1999-09-14 | BOS | CLE | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999-09-11 | BOS | NYY | — | 4.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1999-09-05 | BOS | SEA | — | 2.1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 1999-08-31 | BOS | KCR | — | 6.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1999-08-25 | BOS | MIN | L | 5.2 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1999-08-20 | BOS | TEX | L | 6.0 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1999-08-15 | BOS | SEA | L | 7.2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 1999-08-09 | BOS | KCR | L | 6.0 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1999-08-04 | BOS | CLE | W | 8.2 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | MIN | P | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 1986 | MIN | P | 27 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 3 |
| 1987 | MIN | P | 13 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1988 | MIN | P | 26 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | HOU | P | 20 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 1990 | HOU | P | 32 | 32 | 23 | 19 | 1 | 2 |
| 1991 | HOU | P | 32 | 27 | 16 | 17 | 3 | 1 |
| 1992 | HOU | P | 18 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 1 |
| 1993 | HOU | P | 33 | 33 | 21 | 28 | 2 | 2 |
| 1994 | SFN | P | 21 | 21 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | SFN | P | 17 | 17 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | CIN | P | 14 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 | CIN | P | 27 | 26 | 11 | 16 | 2 | 1 |
| 1997 | PHI | P | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | PHI | P | 26 | 26 | 24 | 17 | 3 | 2 |
| 1999 | BOS | P | 31 | 27 | 9 | 22 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 346 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Silver Slugger | P |
Salary History
Mark Portugal's recorded salaries total $22,253,945 over 12 seasons, 1986 to 1999. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Portugal's career ran from 1985 to 1999. No salary is recorded for 1985, 1987, and 1988.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | BOS | AL | $2,700,000 |
| 1998 | PHI | NL | $2,350,000 |
| 1997 | CIN | NL | $400,000 |
| 1997 | PHI | NL | $2,350,000 |
| 1996 | CIN | NL | $4,333,334 |
| 1995 | SFN | NL | $3,377,778 |
| 1994 | SFN | NL | $2,333,333 |
| 1993 | HOU | NL | $2,095,000 |
| 1992 | HOU | NL | $1,250,000 |
| 1991 | HOU | NL | $705,000 |
| 1990 | HOU | NL | $202,000 |
| 1989 | HOU | NL | $95,000 |
| 1986 | MIN | AL | $62,500 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $22,253,945 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Cy Young Award | NL | 6th | 2.0 | 140 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Mark Portugal (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Mark Portugal: the record in brief
Mark Portugal played a first major league game on August 14, 1985 and a last one on September 22, 1999. Club by club, the record runs the Minnesota Twins (1985 through 1988), the Houston Astros (1989 through 1993), the San Francisco Giants (1994 through 1995), the Cincinnati Reds (1995 through 1996), the Philadelphia Phillies (1997 through 1998), and the Boston Red Sox (1999). At 6'0" and 170 pounds, Portugal is listed as a pitcher. Portugal threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is October 30, 1962, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. The given name on file is Mark Steven Portugal.
Portugal pitched in 346 games, starting 283, and finished with a 109-95 record and 4.03 ERA. The totals include 1,134 strikeouts and 16 complete games. Portugal's 4.03 ERA was close to the 4.17 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 18, in 1993. 1990 produced Portugal's most strikeouts, 136.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mark Portugal
- What years did Mark Portugal play?
- Mark Portugal played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1999.
- Was Mark Portugal a pitcher?
- Yes. Mark Portugal pitched in the major leagues, recording 109 wins and 1134 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Mark Portugal hit?
- Mark Portugal hit 2 career home runs with 89 hits.
- What teams did Mark Portugal play for?
- Mark Portugal played for 6 teams: the Minnesota Twins (1985–1988), the Houston Astros (1989–1993), the San Francisco Giants (1994–1995), the Cincinnati Reds (1995–1996), the Philadelphia Phillies (1997–1998), and the Boston Red Sox (1999).
- What awards did Mark Portugal win?
- Mark Portugal won the Silver Slugger award (1994).
- What were Mark Portugal's career stats?
- In 346 games, Mark Portugal went 109-95 with a 4.03 ERA, 1,134 strikeouts, 1,826.1 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 89 hits and 2 home runs.
- How much did Mark Portugal earn in his career?
- Mark Portugal's recorded salaries total $22,253,945 over 12 seasons, 1986 to 1999. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Portugal's career ran from 1985 to 1999. No salary is recorded for 1985, 1987, and 1988.
- What was Mark Portugal's salary?
- Mark Portugal's last recorded salary was $2,700,000, in 1999. His highest recorded salary was $4,333,334, in 1996, and his lowest was $62,500, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 1999.
- What position did Mark Portugal play?
- Mark Portugal played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Mark Portugal and how much did he weigh?
- Mark Portugal was listed at 6 feet and 170 pounds.
- What was Mark Portugal's career ERA?
- Mark Portugal finished with a 4.03 career ERA, going 109-95 with 1,134 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Mark Portugal have?
- Mark Portugal recorded 1,134 career strikeouts.
- Is Mark Portugal in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Mark Portugal has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.