[3] 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.

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 defended his actions and he was assessed an eight-game suspension by American League President Gene Budig, and his own manager even apologized to the Yankees for Benitez's behavior.

He did the same thing three years before when Martinez was playing for the Seattle Mariners after surrendering an Edgar Martínez grand slam, which had led to his demotion to the minors at that time.

Despite these struggles during his four seasons in New York, he managed to establish himself as one of the Major Leagues' better closers,[citation needed] saving 139 games.

[9] However, as Benítez still struggled to hold leads when it seemed to matter most, to many fans his failures in clutch situations overshadowed most of the success he had in his career in New York.

Midway through 2003, as Benítez labored trying to convert saves through the year, he was traded to the New York Yankees, who intended to use him as a setup man for Mariano Rivera.

[10] Benítez had a 1.93 ERA, but allowed 14 baserunners in 9+1⁄3 innings over nine games with the Yankees before being traded in a post-deadline waiver deal to the Seattle Mariners for Jeff Nelson.

[13] After the season, Benítez elected to become a free agent, signing a three-year contract with the San Francisco Giants that was worth a reported US$21 million.

[14] His tenure with the Giants was mired by injuries and a high percentage of blown saves, never recapturing the form he showed in 2004 with the Marlins.

His first season with the Giants started badly when Benítez tore a pair of tendons in his right hamstring while running to cover first in late April.

[22] On October 29, 2007, Benítez officially filed for free agency, ending his second tenure with the Marlins following a disappointing campaign where he posted a 5.36 ERA between the two teams and did not record a save following the trade.

[23] On March 11, 2008, Benítez agreed to a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and was given chance to compete for a bullpen job in spring training.

[citation needed] On June 24, 2010, Benitez signed a minor league deal with the Florida Marlins and was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, New Orleans Zephyrs.