Now how did the term "Mendoza Line" get started? This is where is gets a little tricky. First let's take care of who is the true Mendoza of the famous "Mendoza Line". Some insist that Christobal (Minnie) Mendoza is the actual Mendoza being referred to. Minnie Mendoza was a consistent .300 hitter in the minors in the '60s. When he made it with the Minnesota Twins in 1970, Minnie hit .188 in 16 games. Although Minnie Mendoza did hit below .200 for his very brief Major League career, no documented evidence supports the claim of anyone using the term "Mendoza line" in the '60s and early '70s. Plus, who would remember a person who played a total of 16 games? That would hardly make an impression on anyone to coin a term.

The most widely accepted story of who came up with the famous expression is Hall-of-Famer George Brett. "The first thing I look for in the Sunday papers is who is below the Mendoza line" (Glen Waggoner & Robert Sklars, Rotisserie League Baseball, 1987). However, according to Sports Illustrated (Aug. 20, 1990), the term was coined by Tom Paciorek or Bruce Bochte; broadcaster Mel Proctor (Home Team Sports telecast, Apr. 25, 1996) said Mendoza, while playing for Seattle was hitting above and below .200 and that teammates Paciorek and Bochte commented on that fact in the interview, and later Brett picked up on it and used the term.

It is this writers opinion that the true "creator" of the Mendoza Line is Tom Paciorek. During his major league career Tom was known as a great joker and would most likely come up with the phrase because of playing everyday with Mario. Who would know best what Mario was hitting on a daily basis? However, Brett, knowing a good line to use, made the term popular because he would be the perfect person to comment on a batting average. Given his popularity he could make an off-handed statement and show up the next day in all the sports sections. Then, with the advent of cable TV in the 1980's, ESPN's Sportcenter broadcaster Chris Berman made many references to a player going under the Mendoza Line. This would put the term in a permanent place of baseball terminology

1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982
.221	.180	.185	.198	.218	.198	.245	.231	.118