There were few constants for the Mets in the mid-2000s. From 2002 to 2010, the franchise went through four different managers, a front office reshuffling, and even a change in home ballpark. 

Amidst the upheaval, only one thing remained consistent: the presence of lefty Pedro Feliciano in the bullpen. Feliciano, who recently passed away at the age of 45, was an integral member of the Mets for nine seasons. Feliciano was the prototypical LOOGY (Lefty One-Out Guy), a pitcher whose sole purpose was to neutralize the left-handed power hitters in the opposing team’s lineup. Whenever Ryan Howard or Chase Utley came to bat in a crucial late-game situation, Feliciano was summoned to put out the fire. 

Though he didn’t become a full-time major leaguer until the age of 29, Feliciano ended his career with the second-most appearances in Mets history (484) — trailing only John Franco. To honor Feliciano’s memory, I’ve compiled the numbers that defined his big league career.

Historic Achievements

Gary Cohen wasn’t exaggerating when he nicknamed Feliciano “Perpetual Pedro.” Feliciano led the majors in appearances for three straight seasons (2008-2010), recording at least 85 appearances in each of those years. He logged a total of 266 games in that span; the next closest pitcher (Carlos Marmol) came in a distant second at 238. During that three-year stretch, the lefty appeared in 54.7 percent of his team’s games. 

Feliciano’s career-high in appearances came in 2010, when he was called in from the bullpen on 92 occasions. He remains just one of two pitchers in the Wild Card Era to make at least 90 appearances in a season, along with Salomon Torres (94 for the 2006 Pirates). He was also just the second pitcher in major league history to record three consecutive seasons of at least 85 appearances, joining Paul Quantrill (2002-2004).

A Lethal Lefty

Feliciano would not have gotten the ball so often had he been an ineffective reliever. He thrived in his role as a lefty specialist by holding left-handed batters to a .211/.278/.297 slashline for his career. Unsurprisingly, the two hitters he faced most often were a pair of lethal lefties on the Phillies: Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Utley managed to slug a respectable .472 in his 42 plate appearances against Feliciano, but Howard fared far worse. In his 38 trips to the plate against Perpetual Pedro, Howard batted just .194 (7-for-36), hit one home run, struck out 14 times, and walked just twice. Among pitchers to face Howard 30 or more times, only Oliver Pérez (.167) and Tim Redding (.107) held him to a lower average.

Fantastic Feats

Feliciano’s signature pitch was a sweeping slider that broke away from lefties and in on the hands of righties. That pitch allowed Feliciano to induce a significant amount of ground balls. From 2004 to 2010, he was one of a handful of relievers to register a ground-ball rate above 50 percent and a K/9 of at least 8. And while he was consistent throughout his career, he also enjoyed stretches of pure brilliance. Such was the case from September 12, 2009 to April 7, 2010, when he went 13 straight appearances without allowing a hit. At the time, it was the longest such streak in Mets history.

Searle’s Final Say

Relievers are notoriously unpredictable, but Pedro Feliciano was as reliable as they come. Perpetual Pedro was a crucial cog in the 2006 Mets pen, and one of the few players whose Mets tenure spanned both the Shea Stadium and Citi Field eras. Unfortunately, Feliciano’s heavy workload caught up to him and led to a shoulder injury that shortened his career. Still, it seems fitting that all nine of his big league seasons were in Flushing. For him to play for any other team would have felt strange, even wrong. As with many great Mets, he flew under the radar for years, only to gain proper recognition once his tenure was at an end.

For more on Feliciano and other great Mets from Puerto Rico, click here