[1] Mercado played for the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies during his major league career.

[2] Héctor Mercado made his major league debut on April 4, 2000, with the Cincinnati Reds at the age of 25.

On that day, the Milwaukee Brewers were playing against the Cincinnati Reds at Cinergy Field, with 16,761 people attending the game.

He was granted free agency on September 29, 2003, having played in his final major league game on July 11 of that year.

He caught on with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League, and on June 23, 2005, Mercado was purchased from them by the Texas Rangers.

On October 15, 2005, Mercado was yet again granted free agency, signing with the Detroit Tigers on January 4, 2006.