Meet the Sox

Damaso Marte

Damaso wasn’t an easy guy to figure out.

At times, he looked like the most dominant left-handed reliever in the game.  At other times, he seemed to be the most fragile guy on the team.

When he made his debut with the Sox in 2002, he was one of the few trade acquisitions Kenny Williams could hang his hat on.  That was the same year that Kenny traded for Todd Ritchie before the season, and then dealt Ray Durham for nothing during it.  Needless to say, the Guerrier-for-Marte trade was a highlight during a very rocky start.

He developed into a force in 2003, but the workload took its toll.  Not as dominant in 2004, he still was one of the team’s best relievers, but shoulder strain caused a loss of velocity and an increase in free passes and gopher balls, and 2005 was a continuation of the terrible trends.

Had he not delivered in Game 3 of the World Series, it’d be difficult to remember Damaso as fondly.  First, he was cited as one of the reasons Carlos Lee was traded – evidently, El Caballo made fun of his upbringing and slapped him on the neck, which Marte didn’t appreciate.  But Carlos was one of my favorite players, so I didn’t appreciate that.

Then, he couldn’t find the plate between DL stints, walking 33 guys in 45 innings.  He was so erratic that Luis Vizcaino, the Hindenburg himself, surpassed him in ERA by season’s end.  And then, of course, there was the time Damaso showed up late to the game and claimed he had a sore neck (not slap-related), and Ozzie said he was faking an injury.

This Sept. 7 against the Royals summed up why Sox fans and management were frustrated beyond belief with Marte.  He was brought in to face two left-handed hitters, and he plunked them both.  Both times he started the count off with a strike, and both times he hit them with slow curveballs.  He could’ve made it hurt a little, at least.

But, just like every Sox not named Timo who disappointed during the regular season, he came up big when the team needed him in the playoffs.  Well, not against Boston, when he gave up a hit and walked two batters, setting up El Duque’s great escape in Game 3.

But in the World Series, he finally delivered, pitching 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball as the last reliever in the pen.  Sure, he walked two guys, but this time he was legitimately squeezed at the plate.  He would’ve finished the game if it weren’t for Juan Uribe’s error with two outs in the 14th – the only miscue the Sox made all series with their gloves.  It was just Damaso’s luck, I guess, but he did get the win.

Not knowing what they were going to get from Marte, Williams decided to trade him to Pittsburgh for utility man Rob Mackowiak and thus fulfilling the hopes that Damaso would go back from whence he came.  

There’s a chance he could return to his 2003 form, but either way, he’ll get his chance at sweet revenge facing Carlos Lee’s Brewers 19 times a year.   They nearly got into it during Spring Training last year, so it still should be fun to watch.  At least those HBPs won’t hurt us anymore.