Quick Facts
Biography
Mark Steven Portugal (born October 30, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the major leagues from 1985 to 1999.
Career
Portugal attended Norwalk High School in Norwalk, California. He was signed by the Minnesota Twins in 1980. In 1984, he went 14-7 for the Orlando Twins of the Southern League and made his major league debut the following season.
Portugal spent the rest of the decade in either AAA or the majors. In 1988, he was traded to the Houston Astros. In 1989, he went 7-1 with a 2.75 earned run average for them and won a spot in the starting rotation. He had his best season in 1993, when he won 18 games, led the National League in winning percentage, and finished sixth in the Cy Young Award voting.
Portugal then signed with the San Francisco Giants as a free agent. Typically a .200 hitter, he batted .354 in 1994 and won the Silver Slugger Award. The following season, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Portugal played for several teams over the next few years and retired in 2000.