Carlos Marmol

A relief pitcher from the Dominican Republic, Carlos Agustin Marmol plays professional baseball in the MLB in the United States of America. Marmol began his career as a catcher and an outfielder. He had a batting average of .273 in 14 minor league games and decided to convert to a pitcher. He had a 26-19 record with a 3.41 ERA, at the minors. He was added to the Chicago Cubs' roster in 2005, making his debut in 2006.

Marmol's debut as a relief pitcher for the Cardinals saw two scoreless innings with just one hit and three strikeouts. On his first start against the Cincinnati Reds, Marmol gave away just two hits, while striking out 7, in a 9-3 win for the Cubs. The season saw many ups and downs for Marmol and he ended up with a 6.08 ERA in the 77 innings that he had pitched.

Ryan Dempster's injury meant that Marmol became a regular in the Cubs' roster but was mostly regarded as a setup man in the bullpen. His season-end ERA was an incredible 1.43, as he struck out 96 batters in 69.1 innings. After Dempster moved to the starting position, Marmol became a contender for the closer's spot. Marmol however remained in the setup role due to his past performances in that area. In the 2008 All-Star game, Marmol was picked as a replacement for Kerry Wood, who got injured, and went on to pitch a scoreless 13th inning.