Mecir is notable for having overcome a birth defect (namely club feet) to become an effective Major League pitcher as well as for regularly throwing a screwball. He spent 4½ years as a member of the Oakland Athletics and is prominently mentioned in Michael Lewis\'s bestselling book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.\n', '

Mecir was drafted by the Seattle Mariners from Eckerd College in the third round of the 1991 amateur draft. He played for the Seattle Mariners in 1995, the New York Yankees in 1996 and 1997, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1998 to 2000, the Oakland Athletics from 2001 to 2004, before spending the last year of his career with the Marlins. He announced his retirement on October 2, 2005, following the Marlins\' last game of the season.\n', '

In 2003, Mecir received the Tony Conigliaro Award, given annually to the player who most effectively overcomes adversity to succeed in baseball. Mecir was born with two club feet; despite several childhood surgeries that enabled him to walk, he was left with a right leg that was one inch shorter than his left leg and a right calf that was only half the size of his left calf.\n', '

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