Armando Benítez (born November 3, 1972) is a Dominican former major league relief pitcher. Benítez debuted with the Baltimore Orioles in 1994 and within a few years became their closer. He was a reliever for several other organizations after Baltimore in 1999 and last played in Major League Baseball in 2008. His 289 saves rank 32nd all time. After 2008, he played in minor league and independent league baseball. Early life Armando Germán Benítez was born in San Pedro de Macorís, in the Dominican Republic. His parents, father Francisco and mother Constancia, separated when he was young, so Armando was raised by his mother. She made a living by hand-washing clothes. Armando has two brothers, Francisco, Jr. and Osiri, as well as a sister, Senovia. Benítez learned to play baseball when he was 14, when his stature was a lanky 6'2", 140 pounds. He began to play baseball at a local academy and was originally an outfielder and third baseman. Professional career Baltimore Orioles Benítez was signed in by the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent. Coming up through the Orioles' farm system, he made his debut in . While with the Orioles, he initially struggled, collecting a 5.66 ERA in and faltering in the postseason frequently. In the 1996 ALCS, he yielded the infamous Jeffrey Maier home run, sprinting all the way to right field to confront the umpire, Rich Garcia, who made the call. In 1997, Benítez had a breakout year, as he excelled in the set up role for Orioles' closer Randy Myers, forming a lethal 1–2 punch at the back end of the Orioles bullpen and propelling them to the AL East pennant. However, in the 1997 ALCS against Cleveland, Benitez had one of the least successful postseason series ever by a relief pitcher. The Orioles lost four games by a single run: in three of them, Benitez was on the mound for the final run of the game, while pitching one inning or less. He was charged with two losses and a blown save. By 1998, he started to show some of his future potential earning a 3.82 ERA and 22 saves in 71 games. However, during a game against the New York Yankees on May 19, 1998, Benítez was ejected for hitting Tino Martinez with a pitch that led to a brawl between the two teams. Although Benítez denied hitting Martinez intentionally, few Orioles