New York Mets Dotel graduated from Liceo Cansino Afuera in the
Dominican Republic and was signed by the
New York Mets as an amateur
free agent in 1993. He played for their
minor league affiliate in the
Dominican Summer League through 1994 and then was promoted through the Mets' minor league system for the next several seasons. Dotel made his MLB debut on June 26, 1999, for the Mets, taking the loss in a 7–2 defeat to the
Atlanta Braves. His first MLB win came July 1, 1999, against the
Florida Marlins. He ended the season pitching three innings in relief and as the winning pitcher in the 15-inning Game 5 of the
1999 National League Championship Series against the Braves. The game ended with
Robin Ventura's
Grand Slam Single. He was voted NL Player of the Week for the week of July 25, 1999.
Houston Astros On December 23, 1999, the Mets traded Dotel with
Roger Cedeño and minor leaguer Kyle Kessel to the
Houston Astros for
Mike Hampton and
Derek Bell. In 2000, Dotel went 3–7 with 16
saves and a 5.40 ERA in 50 games (16
starts). This season marked the first time in
National League history that a
pitcher had over 15 starts and 15 saves (the other seasons in MLB history where this feat happened were in 1957, when
Ray Narleski started 15 games and had 16 saves with the
Cleveland Indians, in 1999, when
Tim Wakefield had 17 starts and attained 15 saves for the
Boston Red Sox, and in 2004, when
Dustin Hermanson started 18 games and converted 17 saves for the
San Francisco Giants). In 2001, Dotel again began the season as a starter but moved into the
bullpen as the
setup man for Wagner. Dotel had an excellent season in 2002; he led all relievers with 118
strikeouts and helped secure a well-reputed bullpen for the Astros then. By 2003, Dotel and Wagner were joined by future Astros closer
Brad Lidge and all three partook in a combined
no-hitter against the New York Yankees on June 11, 2003. After the 2003 season, Wagner was traded to the
Philadelphia Phillies, and Dotel started the 2004 season as the closer for the Astros. Dotel served as the closer for the Athletics and finished the 2004 season with a combined 6–6 record with a 3.69 ERA and a career-high 36 saves (22 for the A's and 14 for the Astros) in 77 relief appearances. It was later announced on June 2 that he would undergo
Tommy John surgery, ending his season after just 15 games.
New York Yankees Dotel signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the
New York Yankees in December 2005. He missed the first four months of the 2006 season, recovering from his
Tommy John surgery. Dotel had a setback after developing
tendinitis in his elbow while on a rehab assignment with the
Trenton Thunder. This pushed his return into August as he went through another minor league assignment with the
Columbus Clippers. Dotel pitched his first game in a Yankees uniform on August 16, coming into the game in the eighth inning against the
Baltimore Orioles, facing two batters with one strikeout and one walk. He finished the season playing in 14 games with no record and an ERA of 10.80. Dotel made 24 relief appearances to start the season, going 2–1 with 11 saves and a 3.91 ERA. He made his Braves debut on August 1, throwing a scoreless ninth inning in a 12–3 rout of the Astros. On August 10, Dotel was placed on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain. He made his return on September 22 escaping a bases-loaded jam which eventually led to a Braves win. He recorded a 4.70 ERA in nine appearances with the Braves and finished the season 2–1 with a 4.11 ERA in 33 combined relief appearances.
Pittsburgh Pirates On January 21, 2010, Dotel agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the
Pittsburgh Pirates, plus bonuses for games finished. The deal also included a club option for 2011 for $4.5 million with a $250,000 buyout. Dotel started the year as the Pirates closer and stayed the closer until he was traded. He was 2–2 with 21 saves and a 4.28 ERA in 41 relief appearances with the Pirates. He appeared in 19 games with the Dodgers and went 1–1 with one save and a 3.38 ERA. Dotel was ineligible to play on the postseason roster, but it made no difference as Colorado missed the playoffs. Dotel appeared in eight games with the Rockies, going 0–1 with a 5.06 ERA. He earned his 50th career victory while he played for Toronto.
St. Louis Cardinals On July 27, 2011, Dotel was traded to the
St. Louis Cardinals with
Edwin Jackson,
Marc Rzepczynski and
Corey Patterson for
Colby Rasmus,
P. J. Walters,
Trever Miller and
Brian Tallet. Dotel got his first championship title when the Cardinals beat the
Texas Rangers in the
2011 World Series. On October 31, 2011, it was announced that the Cardinals would not pick up the team option for the 2012 season, making Dotel a type A free agent. While playing for the Cardinals, Dotel served as a mentor to Rzepczynski.
Detroit Tigers Dotel signed a one-year deal with the
Detroit Tigers on December 7, 2011. He made his debut for them on April 7, 2012. The Tigers were Dotel's thirteenth major league team, allowing him to pass
Matt Stairs,
Mike Morgan and
Ron Villone for the MLB record of the most teams for which a player played. Dotel made his 700th appearance in a major-league game on April 21, 2012, in the nightcap of a
doubleheader against the
Texas Rangers. Dotel entered the World Series for the second year in a row, but the Tigers lost to the
San Francisco Giants in a four-game sweep. On October 30, 2012, the Tigers picked up Dotel's option for the 2013 season. On April 23, 2013, Dotel was placed on the 15-day DL due to right elbow inflammation. He was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 8.
Retirement On October 3, 2014, Dotel announced his retirement from professional baseball at the age of 40 after pitching 15 seasons for 13 MLB teams. His career strikeout rate of 10.8 per nine innings is the best in the history of baseball for right-handed pitchers with at least 900 innings pitched. ==Pitching style==