| Edgar Martínez | |
|---|---|
 Martínez with the Seattle Mariners in 1997 | |
| Seattle Mariners – No. 11 | |
| Designated hitter /Third baseman /Coach | |
| Born: (1963-01-02)January 2, 1963 (age 62) New York City, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 12, 1987, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2004, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .312 |
| Hits | 2,247 |
| Home runs | 309 |
| Runs batted in | 1,261 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2019 |
| Vote | 85.4% (tenth ballot) |
Edgar Martínez (born January 2, 1963), nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a Puerto Rican former professionalbaseball player who is currently the senior director of hitting strategycoach for theSeattle Mariners ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB as adesignated hitter andthird baseman for Seattle from 1987 to 2004. He served as the Mariners'hitting coach from 2015 to 2018 and returned to the position in August 2024. He has also been a hitting advisor with the Mariners from 2019 through 2024.
Martínez grew up inDorado, Puerto Rico. Not highly regarded as aprospect, he signed with the Mariners as afree agent in 1982, and was given a smallsigning bonus. He made his major league debut in 1987 but did not establish himself as a full-time player until 1990, at age 27. In the1995 American League Division Series, he hit "The Double", which won the series and increased public support for Mariners baseball as they attempted to fund a new stadium. He continued to play until 2004, when injuries forced him to retire. MLB's award for the best designated hitter was renamed theEdgar Martínez Award in 2004 before his retirement.
Martínez was a seven-timeMLB All-Star, five-timeSilver Slugger, and two-timebatting champion. He is one of 15 MLB players to record abatting average of .300, anon-base percentage of .400, and aslugging percentage of .500 in 8,500 or moreplate appearances.[1][2] The Marinersretired hisuniform number 11 and inducted him into theSeattle Mariners Hall of Fame. In2019, Martínez was elected into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame.
Martínez was born inNew York City on January 2, 1963, to José and Christina Salgado Martínez, who were fromPuerto Rico. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and he was raised by his grandparents, who lived in thebarrio ofMaguayo inDorado, Puerto Rico.[3] When he was 11 years old, his parents reconciled. His brother and sister returned to New York to live with their parents, but Edgar opted to remain in Dorado with his grandparents.[4]
Martinez became inspired to play baseball after watching fellow Puerto RicanRoberto Clemente play in the1971 World Series.[3] He began playing in youth leagues when he was 11.[5] He played with his older cousinCarmelo Martínez in the backyard of his home.Scouts watched Carmelo with interest, but Edgar did not draw their attention. He attendedInteramerican University of Puerto Rico, studying business administration. He playedsemi-professional baseball and worked two jobs, as a supervisor in a furniture store by day and in aGeneral Electric factory at night.[6]
At the suggestion of the owner of his semi-professional team, Martínez attended a tryout held by theSeattle Mariners ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). Despite nearly missing the tryout after a long night working at the factory and being "so tired [he] couldn't swing the bat,"[7] the Mariners signed him to a contract with a $4,000signing bonus (a small amount at the time) on December 12, 1982, shortly before his 20th birthday.[6][8] He initially considered declining the offer, due to the money he was making in Puerto Rico, but Carmelo convinced him to sign.[6]
Martínez made his professional debut inMinor League Baseball with theBellingham Mariners of theClass A-Short SeasonNorthwest League in 1983 as a third baseman. He had a .173batting average, no home runs and only 18 hits in 32 games.[3][9] He struggled with speaking English early in his career.[5][3] The scout who signed Martínez convinced Marinersgeneral managerHal Keller to assign him to theArizona Instructional League (AIL) after the season. Keller did not believe Martínez would be able to hit in the major leagues and initially did not want to assign him to the AIL, which is reserved for the bestprospects. Keller included Martínez in the AIL that year, where he batted .340.[6]
In 1984, Martínez batted .303 with 15home runs and 84walks for theWausau Timbers of theClass AMidwest League.[3][10] Martínez played for theChattanooga Lookouts of theDouble-ASouthern League andCalgary Cannons of theTriple-APacific Coast League (PCL) in 1985, batting .258 in 111 games for Chattanooga and .353 in 20 games for Calgary. He returned to Chattanooga in 1986 and had a .960fielding percentage, which led allthird basemen. Playing for Calgary in 1987, Martínez had a .327 batting average, 10 home runs, and 31doubles in 129 games.[3] He led Calgary in batting average, hits, doubles, games played, and walks.[11]
Martínez made his major league debut on September 12, 1987 as a third baseman and proceeded to hit .372 in 13 games that season.[3] However, the Mariners were committed to usingJim Presley as their third baseman.[12] In 1988, Martínez began the season with Calgary but was called up to the major leagues in early May. He played in four games with the Mariners before returning to Calgary,[13] where he hit .363, the best batting average in the PCL.[3] In September, he was called up again, and over 10 games hit .389. In his second MLB season, he hit .281 with a .351on-base percentage (OBP) and a .406slugging percentage over 14 games.[13]
The Mariners named Martínez their starting third baseman on theirOpening Day roster in 1989.[8] He struggled and was sent back down to Calgary in May.[8] He hit .345 over 32 games for the Cannons and .240 in 65 games for the Mariners that season. After the regular season, Martínez played winter baseball in thePuerto Rican Baseball League. He batted .424 in 43 games, leading the league, and was named co-MVP withCarlos Baerga.[3]
In 1990, Martínez signed a one-year contract for $90,000.[3] With Presley gone,Darnell Coles began the season as the Mariners' starting third baseman.ManagerJim Lefebvre toldThe Seattle Times during spring training: "I think Darnell Coles is going to surprise a lot of people. He knows there is no one in the wings, just Edgar Martinez to back him up." However, Coles committed fiveerrors in Seattle's first six games.[10] Lefebvre moved Coles to the outfield and began playing Martínez at third base.[3] Over 144 games, Martínez hit .302, and had a .397 OBP, both of which led the team.[14] He dealt with leg injuries during the season and had right knee surgery following the season.[15][3]
Martínez signed a two-year, $850,000 contract before the 1991 season. That year, he won his firstAmerican League (AL) Player of the Week Award for the week ending July 14.[16] He finished the seasonhitting .307/.405/.452, all career highs at the time. In 1992, Martínez was selected to his firstAll-Star Game[17] and won his first twoAL Player of the Month Awards for July and then August.[18] In August, he signed a three-year, $10 million contract extension with Seattle, the largest contract given out by Seattle to that point.[3] He missed the last 19 games of the season, undergoing surgery to removebone spurs in his right shoulder in September.[19][3] Martínez had a .343 batting average in 1992, which led the majors.[20] It was the firstbatting title for Seattle and the franchise's highest single-season batting average (since surpassed byIchiro Suzuki). Martínez also tiedFrank Thomas for the most doubles in MLB[21] and set a team record for most doubles in a season (since surpassed byAlex Rodriguez).[22] After the season, Martínez was awarded his first ALSilver Slugger Award as a third baseman.[23]
During an exhibition game atBC Place inVancouver, British Columbia before the 1993 season, Martínez tore hishamstring on an unzipped seam in the turf between first and second base.[24] He missed 42 games at the start of the season and was placed on thedisabled list twice more during the season. In 1994, in his first plate appearance of the season, opposing pitcherDennis Martínez hit him in the right wrist,[25] and he returned to the disabled list. Between the injuries and the1994–95 MLB strike, he played in 131 games during the 1993 and 1994 seasons.[26] In 89 games in 1994, he played 65 games as a third baseman and 23 as adesignated hitter, with one appearance as apinch runner.[3]
Martínez became a full-time designated hitter in 1995. He won the a Player of the Week Award and later Player of the Month Award for June,[16][18] with a .402/.537/.761 slash line that month. He was then selected to theAll-Star Game and set career highs in eleven offensive categories. At the end of the year, he won his second AL batting title with a team-record .356 and led the league inruns scored with 121, doubles with 52, OBP with .479 andon-base plus slugging (OPS) with 1.109 (all team records at that point).[22][27] He also finished third inAL Most Valuable Player Award voting behindMo Vaughn andAlbert Belle.[28] He won his secondSilver Slugger Award[23] and his firstOutstanding Designated Hitter Award.[29]
In the1995 American League Division Series (ALDS) against theNew York Yankees, Martínez hit .571 and reached base 18 times in five games.[30] In Game 4 of that series, he hit a three-run home run, then agrand slam home run that broke a 6–6 tie, en route to an 11–8 victory. His sevenruns batted in (RBIs) in that game tied a single-game postseason record.[31] The win knotted the best-of-five series at two games apiece and forced Game 5. Down 5–4 in the 11th inning of that decisive game, Martínez hit a two-run double offJack McDowell, winning the game for the Mariners, 6–5, and series, 3–2. The win sent the Mariners to theAmerican League Championship Series (ALCS) for the first time in franchise history, a series they would eventually lose to theCleveland Indians in six games.[32]
A lot of people remember that double when they talk about my career, I'd say, yeah, that would define my career.
— Edgar Martínez,ESPN: September 25, 2004.[33]
The double entered baseball lore, referred to as "The Double", by Mariners fans. The Mariners' 1995 postseason run helped build the groundswell of public support that led theWashington State Legislature to pass legislation to funda dedicated baseball stadium in Seattle to replace theKingdome. Mariners' managerLou Piniella referred to it as "the hit, the run, the game, the series and the season that saved baseball in Seattle."[33] At a rally after the series, fans held up a banner calling Martínez "Señor October".[5]
In 1996, Martínez batted .327 and was selected for theMLB All-Star Game. He played one game at third base during the season, during which he collided withJohn Marzano, breaking four ribs and missing 21 games. On August 21, 1996, Martínez recorded his 1,000th career MLB hit. Martínez was selected to the1997 MLB All-Star Game and won the Silver Slugger Award at the end of the 1997 season. He finished second in the AL with a .330 average. The Mariners made the1997 ALDS, but lost to theBaltimore Orioles in four games. Martínez batted .188 in the series.[8] He won his second Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.[29] In 1998, Martínez batted .320 with 29 home runs.[8] He led the AL with a .429 OBP,[34] and won his third Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.[29]
In 1999, Martínez was diagnosed withstrabismus,[35] a condition which causes the eyes to not properly align. For Martínez, his right eye would intermittently drift and cause him to lose depth perception.[6] For the 1999 season, he led the AL with a .447 OBP and batted .337. He recorded his 1,500th hit on August 14.[8] In 2000, Martínez earned his fifth All-Star Game selection. He hit 37 home runs, his single-season best, and led theAmerican League with 145 RBIs.[3] The Mariners reached the postseason, and Martínez batted .364 in theALDS, defeating theChicago White Sox.[8] The Mariners lost to the Yankees in theALCS. Martínez finished sixth in AL MVP Award balloting[3] and won the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.[29]
In 2001, Martínez was again elected to theAll-Star Game, held in Seattle.[3] He batted .306 with 116 RBIs,[10] his tenth season with a .300 or better batting average (his seventh consecutive) and his sixth season with 100 RBIs.[8] Seattle tied the major league record set by the1906 Chicago Cubs with 116 wins on the season. Martínez hit .313 with two home runs in theALDS as Seattle defeated Cleveland, but he batted .150 in theALCS as they lost to the Yankees.[3][8] He won the Silver Slugger Award and the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award in 2001.[29][36]
Martínez dealt with leg injuries in 2002, playing in 97 games. He left a game after pulling hishamstring and had surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his left knee. Though he was batting .301 on September 8, he entered a slump late in the season and ended the year with a .277 batting average. In 2003, Martínez again dealt with hamstring injuries. He batted .304 in the first half of the season and was named to theAll-Star Game. On May 2, Martínez had his 2,000th career hit. He broke a toe when it was hit by afoul ball in September, which limited him for the rest of the season.[8] He ended the season with a .294 batting average, 24 home runs, and a .403 OBP.[3] He won his fifth Silver Slugger Award in 2003.[37]
In 2004, Martínez struggled with a sore back, leg injuries, and difficulties with his eyesight.[8] The Mariners struggled, falling out of the postseason chase, and the team began to give playing time at designated hitter toBucky Jacobsen.[4] On August 9, Martínez announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season. Martínez said this about his choice of retiring and 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.
— Edgar Martínez, August 10, 2004[38],The Seattle Times
On October 2, the Mariners held "Edgar Martínez Day."Baseball commissionerBud Selig announced that the league'sOutstanding DH Award would be renamed after Martínez, andWashington governorGary Locke named the following week "Edgar Martínez Week" in the state.[39] Martínez won theRoberto Clemente Award after the 2004 season.[40]
In 2,055 games over 18 seasons, Martínez posted a .312batting average with 1,219runs, 514doubles, 15triples, 309home runs, 1,261RBI, 49stolen bases, 1,283walks, a .418on-base percentage, and a .515slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded an overall .952fielding percentage primarily as a third baseman. In 34 postseason games, he batted .266 (34-for-128) with 16 runs, 7 doubles, 8 home runs, 24 RBI and 19 walks.[41]
Hall of Fame pitcherMariano Rivera, when asked whether there was anyone he was afraid to face, said that he was never afraid, but "I will put it like this: The only guy that I didn't want to face, when a tough situation comes, was Edgar Martínez. The reason is because I couldn't get him out. (laughs) I couldn't get him out. It didn't matter how I threw the ball. I couldn't get him out. Oh, my God, he had more than my number. He had my breakfast, lunch and dinner. He got everything from me."[42] Versus Rivera, Martínez was able to log a .579 batting average, with 11 hits during 19 at bats.[43] Hall of Fame pitcherPedro Martínez (no relation) also named Edgar Martínez as one of the toughest hitters he had to pitch against in his career because, Pedro said, he was very disciplined at the plate and "wouldfoul off pitches that would wipe out anybody else."[44]
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Martínez was inducted into theHispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on September 9, 2003, in a pregame on field ceremony atSafeco Field.[45] In October 2004, following his retirement, a section of South Atlantic Street (State Route 519) in Seattle adjacent to Safeco Field was renamed Edgar Martínez Drive South.[46] The street he grew up on in Dorado was renamed Edgar Martínez Street.[15][7] At his retirement ceremony, a portrait "featuring his high stepping batting style" painted by artistMichele Rushworth was presented to him by the Mariners.[47] MLB also renamed the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award in Martínez's honor.[39] In 2005, fans voted Martínez as the third baseman on theLatino Legends Team.[48] Following his retirement, the Mariners did not issue Martínez'uniform number 11 to any other player. Under team policy, he was not eligible to have his uniform number formally retired until 2010, when he became eligible for theNational Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time.[49] The Mariners inducted Martínez into theSeattle Mariners Hall of Fame on June 2, 2007[50] and retired Martinez's #11 jersey on August 12, 2017.[49]
First eligible to be elected into the Hall of Fame on the2010 ballot, Martínez received 36.2% of the vote, far short of the 75% required for induction. While some sports writers felt that his batting numbers do not overcome the one-dimensional aspect of his career as a DH, others have compared this to the specialty of closers whose contribution to their teams victories resides on working one inning to preserve an advantage and the fact that these late inning relievers are not involved in other facets of the game such as hitting and base running.[51] By the2018 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, his ninth year on the ballot, Martínez's vote total increased to 70.4%. The2019 ballot, his last chance for election by theBaseball Writers' Association of America, elected him to the Hall of Fame, appearing on 85.4% of the ballots cast.[52][53] He became the second player to enter the Hall of Fame as a Mariner, afterKen Griffey Jr.,[54] and the sixth player to be elected in his final year of eligibility, afterRed Ruffing,Joe Medwick,Ralph Kiner,Jim Rice, andTim Raines.[55] He entered the Hall with Rivera, who was elected in his first year of eligibility, along with the lateRoy Halladay (first ballot, posthumous).[52] Astatue of Martínez was installed outside Seattle's T-Mobile Park in 2021.
TheComplejo Deportivo Edgar Martinez,[56] named after Martínez, was built in barrio Higuillar in Dorado. Sustaining structural damages as a result ofHurricanes Maria andIrma in 2017, a $700,000 restoration of the sports complex was completed in 2021. The complex hosts school sports competitions and has a baseball field, a track field, a basketball court, and a gym.[57]
On June 20, 2015, the Mariners hired Martínez as theirhitting coach, replacingHoward Johnson.[58] The team's offense improved from a .233 batting average and 3.4 runs scored per game in the 68 games coached by Johnson to a .260 average and 4.6 runs per game with Martínez in 94 games. ThoughJerry Dipoto, newly hired as general manager, firedLloyd McClendon as manager after the season, he retained Martínez.[59] Martínez coached the Mariners through to the end of the 2018 season. Out of a desire to spend more time with his family, Martínez moved from hitting coach to a hitting advisor role with the Mariners organization after the 2018 season.[60]
Following the firing of hitting coachJarret DeHart and managerScott Servais on August 22, 2024, the Mariners announced that Martínez would be the team's hitting coach for the rest of the season.[61] The team's hitting, particularly byJulio Rodríguez, improved after Martínez returned.[62][63] On November 25, the team replaced Martínez withKevin Seitzer as the hitting coach, but Martínez would remain with the Mariners in overseeing the club's hitting program.[64]
Martínez met Holli (née) Beeler on ablind date in 1991; they married in October 1992.[15][65] They live inKirkland, Washington, with their three children.
Martínez and his wife Holli have contributed their time and money toSeattle Children's Hospital, including the Edgar Martínez Endowment forMuscular Dystrophy Research, established by the Mariners in honor of his retirement, and the Children's Hospital Annual Wishing Well Night atT-Mobile Park. Martínez has also supported the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy,Overlake Hospital,Make-A-Wish Foundation, Wishing Star Foundation,United Way, Esperanza, Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program,Big Brothers Big Sisters,Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Mariners Care. On June 20, 2007, Martínez was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame inBoise, Idaho.[66]
Martínez has written two autobiographies. He wrote a children's bookEdgar Martinez: Patience Pays with Greg Brown in 1992.[5] In 2009, he wroteEdgar: An Autobiography withSeattle Times writer Larry Stone.[67]
Martínez is one of the founders of Plaza Bank, founded in 2005 asWashington's firstHispanic bank.[68] (The bank merged with United Business Bank in 2017.[69]) In 2006, Martínez co-founded Branded Solutions, a corporate merchandise category, with two executives fromImageSource.[70] He sold the company to ImageSource in 2010.[71] For the 2013 season, the Mariners worked with Martínez, local chefEthan Stowell, and bartender Anu Apte to create "Edgar's Cantina" at Safeco Field.[72]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | American League Player of the Month July—August 1992 June 1995 May 2000 May 2003 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
