In the late 1990s, the Giants teams often utilized a platoon at the catcher position, relying on different veterans to split time for most of the season.

In 1999, he finally made the promotion to the majors permanent when he split time with veterans Brent Mayne and Scott Servais.

After the season, Hatteberg signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics and, in 2002, Mirabelli found himself as the designated catcher for veteran pitchers Darren Oliver and Frank Castillo.

Offensively, Mirabelli provided an occasional spark; he would become the only player in Major League Baseball history to hit six or more home runs in six consecutive seasons of fewer than 200 at-bats (from 2001 to 2006).

However, in early February, General Manager Kevin Towers decided to sign veteran catcher Mike Piazza and installed him as the starter instead.

Upset over Piazza's arrival and his subsequent lack of playing time, Mirabelli asked Towers to work out a deal that would send him back to Boston.

[5] Mirabelli was reacquired by the Red Sox on May 1, 2006, in exchange for catcher Josh Bard, setup man Cla Meredith, and $100,000 cash.

The day the trade occurred, the Red Sox were to play their first game of the year against their rivals, the New York Yankees, at Fenway Park, and Wakefield was scheduled to start.

In an effort to conserve every second possible, the Red Sox sent a uniform along with the police escort for Mirabelli to change into while en route to Fenway Park from the airport.

On April 25, 2007, while Boston was visiting the Baltimore Orioles in the teams' first match up of the season, a controversy arose when Orioles' play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne alleged during the fifth inning of his telecast that Mirabelli had told him years ago that Curt Schilling's bloody sock from the Red Sox's 2004 championship run was only a publicity stunt.

[7] Mirabelli initially vehemently denied talking about the incident to Thorne, and the comments by both individuals rekindled a controversy on a national level which had been dormant for years.

While also making a point to affirm that the substance on Schilling's sock was undoubtedly his own blood, Mirabelli did acknowledge that there was likely a misunderstanding in a past dialogue with Thorne after the commentator had also admitted as much.

Mirabelli re-signed with the Red Sox for the 2007 season, but his offense did not improve as he hit .202 and once again battled various leg injuries late in the year.

[10] On January 5, 2009, Mirabelli was named the new head baseball coach at St. Francis High School in Traverse City, Michigan.