Edgar Martínez (baseball player)
| Edgar Martínez | |
|---|---|
 Martínez (1997)
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| Designated hitter, third baseman, hitting coach | |
| Born: January 2nd, 1963 New York City , United States 
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| Strikes: Right | Throws: Right |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| September 12, 1987 with the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB assignment | |
| October 3, 2004 with the Seattle Mariners | |
| MLB statistics (until end of career) |
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| Batting average | .312 |
| Home runs | 309 |
| Runs Batted In | 1,261 |
| Hits | 2,247 |
| Teams | |
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As a player
As a coach
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| Awards | |
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| member of | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame
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| Recorded | 2019 |
| Quota | 85.4% |
| Last update: June 9, 2019 | |
Edgar Martínez (born January 2, 1963 in New York City , New York ) or Gar or Papi is a former American baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 18 years . He is currently hitting coach with the Seattle Mariners .
Professional career
On December 19, 1982 Edgar Martínez signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners . Martínez worked his way through the Mariners' minor league teams, playing at the Chattanooga Lookouts and the Calgary Cannons. Martínez made his major league debut on September 12, 1987 and became a regular player for the Mariners in 1990. He replaced Jim Presley in the third baseman position. He began his career as a third baseman and won the American League batting title in 1992 , but then pulled his thigh during an exhibition game at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver just before the 1993 season. He has never fully recovered.
Martínez became a full-time Designated Hitter (DH) in 1995 . So far, he's the only DH to ever win a batting title (1995). He won with a batting average of .355.
On August 9, 2004, Martínez announced his retirement, which took effect at the end of the season. Martínez said of his retirement choice and his career in Seattle:
"It is hard, very hard, I feel in my mind and my heart I want to keep playing. But my body is saying something differently, so I feel this is a good decision. "
The double
Martínez is best known for his performance in the 1995 American League Division Series against the New York Yankees . He then had an average of .571 and hit bases 18 times in five games. In Game 4 of that series, he hit a three-run homer , then a grand slam - that ended in a 6-6 draw on the way to an 11-8 win. His RBI total for that game was a single-game postseason record. That win resulted in a 2–2 draw in a best-of-five series , forcing Game 5. The Mariners were down 5-4 in the 11th inning of that crucial game. Martínez hit a two-run double , called "The Double" by Mariners fans , with which they won the Game 6-5 and the Series 3-2 (after trailing 0-2). The win brought the Mariners to the next round against the Cleveland Indians for the American League Championship Series for the first time in franchise history. The Mariners ultimately lost the Series in six games.
"A lot of people remember that double when they talk about my career, I'd say, yeah, that would define my career."
A baseball myth has it that Martínez saved baseball in Seattle with this double. It was one of many moments in a “miracle run” by the Mariners in September and October 1995 that changed the public mood for the team and thus secured the financing of the construction of the new ballpark as a partial replacement for the Kingdome .
legacy
Throughout his career, Martínez has been hugely popular with Mariner fans, playing with the team his entire career and always ready to sign autographs for fans. In October 2004, after his retirement, part of South Atlantic Street in Seattle that borders T-Mobile Park was renamed Edgar Martínez Drive South . At his retirement ceremony, the Mariners presented him with a portrait “with his high step treasure style”, painted by the artist Michele Rushworth .
The Mariners haven't given Martínez 'number 11 since he stepped down. Under the Mariners' rules, they were not eligible to officially assign his number until he was first eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 . The Mariners stopped awarding Martinez's jersey number 11 on August 12, 2017.
Martínez was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on September 9, 2003 in a field ceremony at Safeco Field .
In 2004 the Baseball Major League renamed the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award the Edgar Martínez Award in his honor . A five-time winner of this award, he is one of eight players after whom baseball awards are named. The others are: Jackie Robinson for Rookie of the Year , Cy Young for Pitching , Hank Aaron for Batting , Roberto Clemente for “Athleticism, Community Participation and Individual Contribution to His Team” , Ted Williams for the All Star Game MVP Award , Tony Gwynn (National League) and Rod Carew (American League), whose names are appended to each league's Batting Champion Award.
He was inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame on June 2, 2007.
In December 2007, former Mariners outfielder Shane Monahan gave an interview to ESPN.com in which he noted that amphetamines and steroids were used rampantly in the team's clubhouse in the late 1990s. Monahan said almost every Seattle player except former catcher Dan Wilson used amphetamines. Martínez, as well as his former teammates Jamie Moyer and Raúl Ibañez , denied claims of such use in the clubhouse. Martínez said during a visit to the Mariners in spring training: “I don't know why [Monahan] said that, I was there for a long time and I didn't see what he saw. […] What do you want to do? There has been a lot of talk about baseball […] But like I said, I've been there for a long time and I've never seen it. ”- Edgar Martínez, Seattle Times: March 15, 2008.
Martinez was first eligible to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. He received 36.2% of the vote. In the years that followed, Martinez was unable to get a significant increase in support, it was at its highest level of 43% in 2015, but in the 2017 vote the percentage rose to 58% from the 75% needed.
For the 2013 season, the Mariners worked with Martinez, local chef Ethan Stowell, and bartender Anu Apte to open Edgar's Cantina in Safeco Field.
Resigned Yankee Mariano Rivera , when asked if there was anyone he was afraid to play against, replied that he was never afraid, but “I'll put it this way: the only guy I get in a tough situation didn't want to meet was Edgar Martínez. The reason is that I couldn't get it out. (Laughs) I couldn't get it out, it didn't matter how I threw the ball, I couldn't get it out. Oh my god he had more than my number, he had my breakfast, lunch and dinner, he got everything from me “Against Rivera, Martinez was able to hit a .579 batting average. He had 11 hits at 19 At Bats. Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martínez (not related) called Edgar Martínez one of the toughest thugs he had to compete with in his career - he was very disciplined on the court. He would hit balls (foul ball) that would knock anyone else out.
Web links
- Player information and statistics from MLB or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Larry Stone: Goodbye, Mr. Baseball: The Final Years (2002-present) . In: The Seattle Times , October 4, 2004. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
- ↑ Bob Finnigan: Memories of Edgar . In: The Seattle Times , October 4, 2004. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved on November 29, 2008.
- ↑ Goodbye, Edgar: He hopes to "enjoy the moment" in the next 7 weeks
- ↑ Martinez is beloved by Seattle fans; what about Hall voters? . September 25, 2004. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
- ↑ Mariners to retire Edgar's No. 11 in August . Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ↑ Larry Stone: Edgar Martinez to be inducted into Mariners' Hall of Fame . In: The Seattle Times , January 24, 2007. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012.
- ^ Matt Snyder: Martinez HOF case , CBS Sports . December 25, 2013. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013.
- ^ Julien Perry: Look Inside Edgar's Cantina at Safeco Field . seattle.eater.com. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- Jump up ↑ Rose, Charlie: Charlie Rose Show, October 16, 2013 . In: Bloomberg News (ed.): Charlie Rose Show . 2013, p. 34:00.
- ↑ Randy Booth: Nobody Can Beat Mariano Rivera - Except This Lineup . SB nation . April 8, 2010. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.
- ↑ Joe DeMartino: Here are the five toughest hitters Pedro Martinez ever had to face . ESPN . May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Martínez, Edgar |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Martinez, Edgar |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 2nd January 1963 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City , New York |