Doug Mirabelli

Between the minor and major leagues, there are thousands of baseball players trying to make a name for themselves. Some can hit home runs; others are great at striking out batters. One, Doug Mirabelli, was able to stand out and become a two-time World Series champion because he could do what most catchers can’t always do: catch a knuckleball.

Drafted by the San Francisco Giants as a fifth-round pick in 1992, Mirabelli played for the Giants, Texas Rangers, and San Diego Padres, but is best known for his stints with the Boston Red Sox as the preferred batterymate of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. The Red Sox even went as far as securing a police escort from the airport after reacquiring him from the Padres to make sure that Mirabelli arrived to Fenway Park in time to catch Wakefield.

Douglas Anthony Mirabelli was born on October 18, 1970, in Kingman, Arizona, to parents Frank and Karen Mirabelli. His family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where his father worked as a blackjack dealer in the casinos. His mother worked in human resources for the Nevada Power Company. After Frank Mirabelli retired from the casinos, he bought a neighborhood bar and restaurant. Doug attended Valley High School, the same high school as major leaguers Greg Maddux, Mike Morgan, and Tyler Houston attended, and became a standout for the Vikings baseball team. He helped lead the team to two state championships.

After his senior year in 1989, Mirabelli was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the sixth round of the June 1989 draft. Instead he played baseball at Wichita State University. From 1990 to 1992, the Shockers were the Missouri Valley Conference champions, and they were the runners-up in the 1991 College World Series, losing to LSU.

Mirabelli was a 1990 Baseball America freshman second-team All-American, a 1991 Baseball America third team All-American, a 1992 American Baseball Coaches Association second-team All-American and Collegiate Baseball third-team All-American, the Wichita State MVP in 1992.1 Over three seasons, Mirabelli hit .341 and threw out 46 percent of baserunners attempting to steal. In 2002 he was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame.2

Mirabelli was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round of the 1992 draft. His career began in the California League with the San Jose Giants for the 1992 and 1993 seasons. He was promoted to Shreveport of the Double-A Texas League for 1994. In 1995 and ’96 he played mostly at Shreveport with some time at Triple-A Phoenix and a brief call-up to the Giants at roster expansion time in 1996.

In a 2002 interview Mirabelli discussed his 1996 call-up to the majors. “Because I was in Double-A, I thought they were calling me up to Triple-A for the playoffs,” Mirabelli said. “When they said the big leagues, I went numb.”3 He played in nine games for San Francisco Giants that year, making his major-league debut in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on August 27, catching in the top of the ninth inning and flying out in the bottom of the inning. He got his first major-league hit on September 1 against the New York Mets, a double against pitcher Bobby Jones in the seventh inning.

For the next three seasons, Mirabelli moved between the majors and minors, appearing in six games for the Giants in 1997, 10 in 1998, and 33 in 1999. He spent all of 2000 in the majors, appearing in 82 games and batting .230 with 6 home runs and 28 RBIs. He was 0-for-2 in the NL Division Series against the New York Mets.

After the 2000 season, the Giants, flush with catchers, sold Mirabelli’s contract to the Texas Rangers. Mirabelli had spent 10 years in the Giants system, and manager Dusty Baker said, “It’s never easy to tell somebody goodbye, especially someone who’s been in the organization so long.”4

Mirabelli didn’t spend too much time in Arlington, where he was a backup to future Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez. On June 12 he was traded to the Red Sox for pitcher Justin Duchscherer.5

By his second season with the Red Sox, Mirabelli had accepted his role with the team, telling the Southeast View, “For a long time, I had a hard time with backing up. I always wanted to play every day, but then you realize you’re a backup catcher and you just deal with it,” adding, “I’m not saying I don’t want to play every day, but I’m comfortable with my role on this team, very much so.”6

In 2002 Mirabelli began catching knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. He told the Southeast View, “It’s like catching a fly ball. It’s like reaching into a bucket and trying to catch a minnow. They’re flying everywhere and you have to catch one of them. … It’s hard to do, but I use a bigger glove and it seems to help.”7

He told the paper how much he enjoyed playing in Boston, saying, “When I came over here, I fell in love with the place. I felt at home and I feel Fenway (Park) is great for my swing, and the fans and the atmosphere there are great.”8

Mirabelli began playing more regularly as Wakefield got a spot in the rotation during the 2003 season. Before the season, the Boston Globe reported that manager Grady Little “expects to use Jason] Varitek as he did last year, having him catch every starter except Tim Wakefield, who will work with Doug Mirabelli.”9

Mirabelli appeared in 55 games that season, starting in 43 of them. He improved offensively, batting .258 and posting a .755 OPS. He caught all but two of the 202⅓ innings thrown by the 11-7 Wakefield during the season.10

At the end of the season, Mirabelli’s contract was up. The Red Sox re-signed him to a one-year deal worth a reported $825,000 which avoided arbitration, and also had the Red Sox “retaining one of the game’s top backup catchers.”11

Expectations were high for the 2004 Red Sox after their devastating loss to the New York Yankees in Game Seven of the 2003 American League Championship Series on walk-off home run. In that series he caught Games One and Four, both wins, and replaced Varitek in the ninth inning of the Game Seven loss.

Mirabelli responded in 2004 by having his best offensive season in the majors, batting .281 with an .893 OPS and 32 RBIs. He played in 59 games with 41 starts as catcher, still mainly working with Wakefield.

Mirabelli didn’t play at all during the 2004 divisional round against the Angels, and played only in Game Three of the ALCS, a 19-8 massacre that put the Red Sox down three games to none and set the stage for their historic comeback. Mirabelli praised Tim Wakefield, a starting pitcher who volunteered to enter the game in relief and help keep the bullpen intact. Wakefield pitched for 3⅓ innings, allowing other arms in the bullpen to be saved for the four must-win games that the team had ahead of them.

“At the end of the day, you don’t want your bullpen to get blown out because we’ve still got four games we need to play,” Mirabelli told authors Alan Wood and Bill Nowlin for their book Don’t Let Us Win Tonight. “Hopefully. For him to be able to go out there and suck up some innings for us, that was a huge help. He loses his start the next night, but Derek Lowe is not a bad fall-back plan.”12 (Lowe started Game Four, a Red Sox victory, instead of Wakefield.)

The team had confidence that if they could take the series to seven games, they could win it. “We realized it wasn’t a perfect situation for us, but there was a lot of hope and positive feelings that with our pitching we could see ourselves right back in this thing again,” Mirabelli said. “I think we always had a feeling that if it got to Game Seven, the pressure would be so high on the Yankees that we would win. We just had to get to Game Seven.”13 Mirabelli and the team felt that they hadn’t played their best baseball through the first three games. “There was always a sense of what we knew we were capable of doing. We knew this wasn’t an accurate showing of what our offense was all about. All we needed was one positive feeling that we could get something done.”14

These feelings were correct, and the Red Sox were able to accomplish the “impossible,” becoming the first team in major-league history to erase a 3-0 series deficit, winning their first American League pennant since 1986.

The Red Sox were set to face the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals, a rematch of the 1946 and 1967 World Series. As expected, the team was feeling good after defeating the Yankees. Mirabelli said, “Our confidence was skyrocketing. It wouldn’t have mattered at that point who we were playing, because when you get a team that’s hot, you don’t want to play that team.”15

Wakefield got the start in Game One, meaning that Mirabelli would be starting. Varitek, the usual starting catcher, said before the game, “Doug and I have built a tremendous bond over the years. We help each other offensively, defensively, with the pitchers. We both want to accomplish the same thing. We want to win a championship. There’s no question we go with Doug tonight.”16

In the third inning, Mirabelli singled to left field off Cardinals starter Woody Williams. He said, “I had one at-bat in Game Three of the ALCS, popped up to second base. That’s the only at-bat I had in a long time, so I had some nerves going, for sure. … I hit that ball really well. It was one of those hits that you can’t even get to second base on because it bounces right back to the left fielder.”17 He scored on Orlando Cabrera’s single three batters later. Even after starter Wakefield was replaced by Bronson Arroyo in the fourth inning, Mirabelli continued to catch until Varitek pinch-hit for him in the sixth.18

Mirabelli did not play again during the World Series, as the Red Sox won the next three games, sweeping the Cardinals and winning the World Series for the first time in 86 years.

After the World Series, Mirabelli re-signed with the Red Sox for two years and $3 million, making him “the highest-paid backup catcher in the majors.” Varitek was also a free agent after the season, and Mirabelli stressed the importance of their tandem: “We said we were a package deal, and I still want to it to be that way. … You can’t lose Varitek, regardless of what the situation is. The guy was the leader on our team. If you don’t have Varitek, you don’t have that team.”19

Varitek eventually re-signed and the arrangement between the two catchers continued for the 2005 season. Mirabelli started in 33 games as the catcher and four as DH. His offensive numbers slipped slightly, at .228 with a .721 OPS. The Red Sox again made the playoffs as a wild card but were swept in the divisional round by the eventual World Series champion Chicago White Sox. Mirabelli started in the final game of that series.

During the 2005 winter meetings, the Red Sox traded Mirabelli to the San Diego Padres for second baseman Mark Loretta. Wakefield wondered, “What the heck is our team going to look like next year?” The Globe noted that Wakefield was 16-8 with a 3.66 ERA with Mirabelli catching him and 0-4 with an 8.86 ERA pitching to Varitek.20

Mirabelli’s replacement, Josh Bard, struggled to catch Wakefield. During an April 26 game in Cleveland, Bard had four passed balls, one less than the team record. The Globe reported that “Bard, if he continues to catch Wakefield all year, stands to make a run at the Sox’ season record of 26, set by Mike Macfarlane in 1995, Wakefield’s inaugural year with the Sox.”21

“Where have you gone, Doug Mirabelli?” wailed the Globe. “With Josh Bard struggling mightily with Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball (10 passed balls in five starts), some Sox fans have expressed nostalgia for Wakefield’s former battery-mate.”22

On day after that article appeared, the Red Sox brought Mirabelli back to Boston to resume his role as Wakefield’s backstop. The trade may have been surprising, but what became the story was Mirabelli’s return trip to Fenway Park.

There was speculation that Red Sox GM Theo Epstein had some regrets over the trade, saying, “The game against the Indians motivated him to move on perhaps the most famous trade for a backup catcher in the history of baseball – a trade he now considers the worst he’s ever made.”23

“Instead of being patient and coming up with a creative situation, we got caught up in some of the panic that was enveloping our clubhouse,” Epstein said. “I got too close to the situation and made a really reactionary move.”24

The Red Sox sent catcher Bard and prospect Cla Meredith to San Diego in exchange for Mirabelli. The day the trade was made, the Red Sox were to play the Yankees on national television and Tim Wakefield was to start. It was Johnny Damon’s first game back at Fenway Park since he left the Red Sox for the Yankees. Mirabelli, overjoyed, left San Diego on a private jet at 10:15 A.M. Pacific time. “To say I was excited would be an understatement,” he said.25

He said the plane was cleared to go over airspace in Cleveland and New York, a move that was not routine for planes. “I guess with airplanes they typically don’t go over other airspace, they have to go around it. But for this occasion, they cleared us straight over Cleveland,” Mirabelli said, adding, “The pilot said to me after we got cleared over New York, ‘I don’t even know who you are, but I’ve carried hearts and lungs and never had this much clearance over airspace.’”26

Mirabelli landed at Boston’s Logan Airport at 6:48 P.M. and hopped into an SUV that was being driven by a Massachusetts state police officer. Epstein said, “We regularly use police escorts to get the team in and out of Logan, so the traveling secretary [Jack McCormick] had an idea. He set it up.”27

Mirabelli changed into his uniform in the back of the car as the driver, Sgt. Dave O’Leary, took Storrow Drive, a busy road that was full of traffic. To get through the traffic, Sgt. O’Leary used his lights and sirens.

“People were pulled over on the side of the road,” said Mirabelli. “They saw the police car. It was bumper to bumper, and they were pulling over letting us through.”28

As all this was going on, Wakefield was being warmed up by Jason Varitek, who was prepared to catch if Mirabelli did not make it to the park on time. He did make it on time, pulling up to the stadium at 7:02 and borrowing Wily Mo Pena’s shoes.

Wakefield recalled seeing his friend and teammate again for the first time, saying, “I walk into the dugout, and I walk into the tunnel right before the national anthem, and who do I see? Mirabelli – full uniform, full gear, full everything, just walking at me. I gave him a big hug and welcome back.”29

The game started eight minutes late at 7:13, and after a few warmup pitches, Mirabelli was back playing for the Red Sox. He was so rushed that he played the entire first inning without a cup, a piece of equipment that is essential for catchers. “I forgot my cup. It was in the police car. I didn’t see it, and it was floating around in the back of a police car. I went through the first inning without a cup, and [before the] second inning I ran in and put one on.”30

Wakefield was grateful to have Mirabelli back on the team. “Dougie was a great catcher. To be able to do what he did, to catch me – he had the best hands I’ve ever thrown to. Unbelievable.”31

Although everything worked out for the Red Sox that night, the Massachusetts State Police have said that if the same situation ever occurred, they would handle things differently.

“We wouldn’t do something like that again, certainly not with lights and siren. As a public safety agency, that was not an appropriate use of our assets,” a spokesman said.32

Back on the team, Mirabelli and Wakefield found the same success they had before he left for San Diego. He had a total of 12 passed balls during the season, two more than Bard had in his first six starts.

When Varitek had to undergo surgery on his knee in August, Mirabelli stepped into the starting role and played in 57 games for the Red Sox. Plagued by injuries, the Red Sox finished 86-76 and missed the playoffs.

Learning from the previous offseason, the Red Sox kept Mirabelli, signing him to a one-year contract worth $750,000.33

The Red Sox turned it around for the 2007 season and Mirabelli’s offense improved slightly over the previous season. With Varitek back, he reverted to his standard role as Wakefield’s personal catcher and started in 33 games for Boston. The Red Sox finished 96-66, first in the American League East, and swept the Anaheim Angels in the Division Series.

Mirabelli made his only playoff appearance in Game Four of the Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians. The Red Sox lost that game, 7-3, but they went on to win the Series and sweep the Colorado Rockies in the World Series. For the second time in four seasons, Mirabelli and the Boston Red Sox were World Series champions.

At the end of the season, the 37-year-old Mirabelli filed for free agency. The Red Sox re-signed him for a $550,000 base salary with incentives that could bring his salary to $1 million.34 But the catcher’s skills had eroded and he was released during spring training.35

Wakefield said he was “shocked,” adding, “I’m saddened by the whole situation, but it’s a business decision on their part. I feel like [Kevin] Cash can do a good job, but I’m really going to miss Doug, especially with the way he’s handled me and the comfort level. I’ll miss his friendship. We’ve been together for eight years. We went through a lot of stuff together. It’s unfortunate it happened that way, but we have to get past that and understand that I’m still an employee here.”36

After being released. Mirabelli retired as a player. He has occasionally returned to Fenway Park, including in 2012 to honor Wakefield’s retirement, catching the ceremonial first pitch from the knuckleballer.37

In 2009 Mirabelli was named head coach of the St. Francis High School baseball team in Traverse City, Michigan.38 In 2013-14, Mirabelli worked for his old boss Theo Epstein as a scout for the Cubs. In 2015 Mirabelli joined the Florida Gators softball team staff as a volunteer assistant coach.39

As of 2023 Mirabelli lived in Traverse City with his wife, Kristin. They have three children, Emma, Molly, and Joey.

Notes

1 “Doug Mirabelli (Baseball, 1990-92),” Wichita State Athletics, https://goshockers.com/news/2015/6/23/BSB_0623153518.aspx.

2 Todd Dewey, “Former Valley Standout: Catcher Finds Niche,” Southeast View (Las Vegas), August 14, 2002.

3 Dewey.

4  Henry Schulman, “Mirabelli to Texas; $75,000 to Giants,” SFGate, March 28, 2001, https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Mirabelli-To-Texas-75-000-To-Giants-2937299.php.

5 “Rangers-Red Sox Trade Could Mean Pitcher for Oklahoma or Tulsa,” “News on 6,” June 13, 2001, https://www.newson6.com/story/5e3681b42f69d76f62096129/rangersred-sox-trade-could-mean-pitcher-for-oklahoma-or-tulsa.

6 Dewey.

7 Dewey.

8 Dewey.

9 Bob Hohler, “Varitek’s in a Position of Strength/Offseason Work Should Help Play,” Boston Globe, February 15, 2003: D3.

10 Bob Hohler, “Mirabelli a Good Catch, so Sox Hold On to Him,” Boston Globe, December 21, 2003: C10.

11 Hohler.

12 Allan Wood  and Bill Nowlin, Don’t Let Us Win Tonight (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2014), 95-96.

13 Wood and Nowlin, 100.

14 Wood and Nowlin, 85.

15 Wood and Nowlin, 213.

16 Wood and Nowlin, 221.

17 Wood and Nowlin, 223.

18 https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200410230.shtml.

19 Bob Hohler, “Mirabelli Signs for Two Years,” Boston Globe, November 30, 2004: E1.

20 Chris Snow and Gordon Edes, “Red Sox Work on Renteria Deal,” Boston Globe, December 8, 2005: C1.

21 Snow, “Can’t Catch a Break; Passed Balls by Bard Let Indians Run Off with Win,” Boston Globe, April 27, 2006: C1.

22 Gordon Edes, “They Must Produce Answer/Hitting in Clutch Has Lagged so Far,” Boston Globe, April 30, 2006: C8.

23 Tim Healey, “The Doug Mirabelli Trade: An Oral History,” FanGraphs, April 29, 2016.

24 Healey.

25 Healey.

26 Healey.

27 Healey.

28 Healey.

29 Healey.

30 Healey.

31 Healey.

32 Healey.

33 Bob Duffy, “Lugo Hopes to Hit It Big; He Finds Fenway a Welcome Sight,” Boston Globe, December 14, 2006: E6.

34 Amalie Benjamin, “Red Sox to Re-Sign Mirabelli: Catcher Will Take Pay Cut for 2008.” Boston Globe, January 11, 2008: F2.

35 Nick Cafardo, “Mirabelli Release Is Cash-Conscious,” Boston Globe, March 14, 2008: E1. Cafardo wrote, “According to team sources, the 37-year-old Mirabelli’s bat had slowed since last season, when he appeared in 48 games and hit just .202 with 5 home runs and 16 RBIs. His defense, particularly his throwing arm, has declined. In the end, the Red Sox decided Kevin Cash, as solid as there is defensively, was the better option.”

36 Nick Cafardo, “A Heap of Good News on the Mound,” Boston Globe, March 16, 2008: C7.

37 Jon Couture, “Waves of Emotion for Tim Wakefield on His Big Day in Boston,” Springfield Republican, May 16, 2012: C7.

38 Mark Urban, “Gladiators hire Mirabelli,” Traverse City (Michigan) Record-Eagle, January 5, 2009.

39 “Doug Mirabelli Joins Gator Softball Staff,” FloridaGators.com, September 9, 2015, https://floridagators.com/news/2015/9/9/31183.aspx.