Edgar Martinez

At 61 years old, Edgar Martinez has this physical status:

Professional career

Martnez attended a tryout held by the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball at the request of the team's semi-professional team. (MLB). Despite nearly missing the tryoutcorrelated to a long night of factory work and being "so drained [he] couldn't swing the bat," the Mariners' January 12, 1982, for a small amount at the time. He considered denying the bid due to the funds he was earning in Puerto Rico, but Carmelo persuaded him to sign.

Martnez made his minor league appearance with the Bellingham Mariners of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League in 1983 as a third baseman. He had a.173 batting average, zero home runs, and only 18 hits. Hal Keller, the Mariners' general manager, convinced him to be sent to the Arizona Instructional League (AIL) after the season. Keller did not believe Martnez would be able to make it to the major leagues, and initially did not want to make him join the AIL, which is reserved for the best prospects. Martnez was included in the AIL that year, where he batted.340.

Martnez hit.303 for 15 home runs and 84 walks for the Wausau Timbers of the Class A Midwest League in 1984. Martnez played for the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and Calgary Cannons of the Class AAA Southern League and Calgary Cannons 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.960 fielding percentage, which led to all third basemen. Martnez, who played for Calgary in 1987, had a.327 batting average, ten home runs, and 31 doubles in 129 games. He led Calgary in batting average, as well as hits, doubles, and batting average, as well as games played and walks.

Martnez made his major league debut on September 12, 1987 as a third baseman, and he hit.372 in his first 13 games. However, the Mariners had agreed to using Jim Presley as their third baseman. Martnez played for Calgary in 1988 but was moved to the major leagues in early May. He appeared in four games with the Mariners before being released to Calgary, where he reached.363. He was called up again in September, and he won over 10 games by.389. He hit.281 on-base percentage (OBP) and a.406 slugging percentage in his second season in MLB.

Martnez was the Mariners' starting third baseman on their Opening Day roster in 1989. In May, he failed and was sent back to Calgary. In 65 games for the Mariners in 1989, he played.345 over 32 games for the Cannons and.240 in 65 games. Martnez played winter baseball in the Puerto Rican Baseball League after the regular season. He batted.424 in 43 games, leading the league, and was named co-MVP with Carlos Baerga.

Martnez, a 1990 graduate, began a one-year deal for $90,000. Despite the fact that Presley was no longer a Marine, Darnell Coles started the season as the Mariners' starting third baseman, with manager Jim Lefebvre advising The Seattle Times, "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." Coles' first six games were however, making five mistakes. Coles was moved to the outfield and Martnez was playing Marten at third base. Martnez had a.302 on-base percentage in over 144 games and had a.397 on-base percentage, both of which aided the team.

Before the 1991 season, Martnez signed a two-year deal worth $850,000. In 1991, he received his first MLB Player of the Week Award for the week ending July 14. He reached.307/.405/.452, his highest record in the 1991 season. Martnez was selected to his first All-Star Game in 1992 and his second for August, the highest deal ever offered to Seattle.

Martnez had a.343 batting average at the end of the 1992 season, the highest in all of MLB. It was Seattle's first batting title and the franchise's highest single-season batting average (this has since been surpassed by Ichiro Suzuki). He tied Frank Thomas for the most doubles in MLB and set a season high (this has since been surpassed by Alex Rodriguez). He received his first American League (AL) Silver Slugger Award as a third baseman at the start of the season.

Martnez strained his hamstring while walking in the turf between first and second base during an exhibition game at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, before the 1993 season. He appeared in 42 games at the start of the season and was placed on the disabled list two more times before the season ended. Dennis Martnez, the Canadian pitcher, was injured in 1994 in his first plate appearance of the season, and he was put on the disabled list. He appeared in 131 games during the 1993 and 1994 seasons, due to injuries and the 1994 MLB strike. He appeared in 89 games as a third baseman pupil and 23 as a designated hitter, with one appearance as a pinch runner.

Martnez made a full-time designated hitter in 1995. He received the Player of the Month Award for June, earning.402 with a.537 OBP and a.761 SLG, as well as another Week of the Week Award. He was also selected to the 1995 All-Star Game and set career highs in eleven offensive categories. He won his second AL batting title with a record of.356, while still leading the league in runs scored with 121, doubles with 579, and on-base plus slugging with 1.109 (all team highs at that time). He also placed third in the AL Most Valuable Player Award voting, behind Mo Vaughn and Albert Belle. He received his second Silver Slugger Award and his first Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.

Marten scored.571 against the New York Yankees in the 1995 American League Division Series (ALDS) and was on base 18 times in five games. He made a three-run home run in Game 4 of the series, followed by a grand slam home run that tied a 6–6 tie, en route to an 11-08 victory. In that game, his seven runs batted in (RBIs) tied for the first game in a single-game postseason record. The win tied the best-of-five series at two games apiece and forced Game 5. Martnez won the game for the Mariners, 6–5, and the series, 3–2. For the first time in franchise history, the Mariners advanced to the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians, a match they would eventually lose in six games.

Mariners fans referred to the double as "The Double" in baseball lore. The Mariners' 1995-to-date campaign helped build the groundwell of public support that led to autoturisming the Kingdome from being funded by the Washington State Legislature. "The hit, the run, the game, the series, and the season that saved baseball in Seattle," Mariners' manager Lou Piniella said.

Martez played.327 runs in 1996 and was selected for the 1996 MLB All-Star Game. He played one game at third base this season, including a slew of ribs and missing 21 games. Martnez hit 1,000 people in his career on August 21, 1996. Martnez was chosen to the 1997 MLB All-Star Game and received the Silver Slugger Award at the end of the 1997 season. He came in second in the AL with a.330 average. The Mariners made the 1997 ALDS but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in four games. In the series, Martnez batted.188. He received his second Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. Martens hit.320 with 29 home runs in 1998. He led the AL with a.429 OBP and was named Best Developed Hitter Award in his third year.

Martnez was diagnosed with strabismus, a condition that causes the eyes to not properly align. Martnez's right eye will sometimes drift and cause him to lose depth perception. He led the AL with a.447 OBP and batted.337 in 1999. On August 14, he scored his 1,500th hit. Martnez made his fifth All-Star Game pick in 2000. He hit 37 home runs, his single-season record, and led the American League with 145 RBIs. In the 2000 ALDS, the Mariners advanced to the playoffs, with Martez hitting.364 against the Chicago White Sox. In the 2000 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the Mariners lost to the Yankees. Martnez came in sixth in the AL MVP Award balloting and was named Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.

Martnez was again elected to the All-Star Game in 2001. He batted.306 with 116 RBIs in his tenth season with a.300 or higher batting average (his seventh straight) and his sixth season with 100 RBIs. Seattle tied for the most major league victories on record for the 1906 Chicago Cubs with 116 wins on the season. In the 2001 ALDS, Martens hit.313 with two home runs, but they lost to the Yankees in.150, but they did not bat.150 in the 2001 ALCS. In 2001, he received the Silver Slugger Award and the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.

Martnez suffered with leg pains in 2002 while playing in 97 games. He missed a game after pulling his hamstring and undergoing surgery to fix a ruptured tendon in his left knee. Despite being batting.301 on September 8, he came late in the season and finished the year with a.277 batting average. Martnez suffered with hamstring injuries in 2003. In the first half of the season, he batted.304 and was named to the 2003 MLB All-Star Game. Martnez had his 2,000th career on May 2, which was his 1,000th appearance. In September, he cracked a toe when it was struck by a foul ball, effectively ending the season. He finished the season with a.294 batting average, 24 home runs, and a.403 OBP. In 2003, he received his fifth Silver Slugger Award.

Martnez's 2004 was plagued by a sore back, leg ache, and problems with his eyesight. The Mariners struggled, falling out of the playoff chase, and Bucky Jacobsen was given more playing time. Martnez announced his resignation on August 9, 2004, citing potentially late in the season. Martnez said this about his decision to retire and work in Seattl

Since the 2004 season, Martnez received the Roberto Clemente Award.

The Mariners fired Martnez as their hitting coach on June 20, 2015, reassigning Howard Johnson. In the 68 games under Johnson's guidance, the team's offense improved from a.233 average and 3.4 runs scored per game to a 4.6 runs per game with Marten. Despite Jerry Dipoto's promotion as general manager, he retained Lloyd McClendon as the boss after the season, but Martnez retained Martez. Martnez was the Mariners' coach through the 2018 season. Martnez went from hitting coach to a hitting advisor position with the Mariners organization after the 2018 season, out of a desire to spend more time with his family.

Mariano Rivera, the Hall of Fame pitcher, said he was never afraid to face, but "I will put it like this": When it comes, I would not want to face him. The reason is because I couldn't get him out. (laughs) I couldn't get him out of my mind. It didn't matter how I threw the ball. I couldn't get him out of my mind. Oh, my lord, he had more than my number. He had his breakfast, lunch, and dinner. "He got everything from me." During 19 at bats, Versus Rivera, Martnez, was able to post a.579 batting average. Pedro Martez (no relation) of the Hall of Fame named Edgar Martez as one of the toughest hitters he had to pitch against in his career because, Pedro said, he was extremely disciplined at the plate and "would foul off pitches that would wipe out everyone else."

Martnez was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on September 9, 2003, during a pregame on field ceremony at Safeco Field. Following his retirement, a section of South Atlantic Street (State Route 59) in Seattle adjacent to Safeco Field was renamed Edgar Martnez Drive South. The Mariners' portrait "featuring his high stepping batting style" was delivered to him at his retirement service. In 2004, MLB renamed the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award in Martnez' honor. Fans voted Martnez as the third baseman on the Latino Legends Team in 2005.

Martinez' uniform number 11 was not given to any other player until his release. He was not eligible to have his uniform number officially retired until 2010, when he first became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Martnez was inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame on June 2, 2007, and Martinez's #1 jersey was retired on August 12, 2017.

Martnez was the first eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame, and the majority of the vote, 75%. Although some sports writers felt that his batting numbers did not improve his one-dimensional aspect of his career as a DH, some have compared this to the unique role of closers whose contributions to their teams' triumphs are based on working one inning to gain an edge, as well as the fact that these late inning relievers are not involved in other aspects of the game such as hitting and base running. Martnez' vote total increased to 74% by the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame, his ninth year on the ballot. The 2019 election, his last chance for election by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, has elected him to the Hall of Fame, receiving 85 percent of the ballots cast. Since Ken Griffey Jr.'s inception as a Marine, he became the sixth player to be inducted in his sixth year of eligibility, including Red Ruffing, Joe Medwick, Ralph Kiner, Jim Rice, and Tim Raines. Incidentally, he and the late Roy Halladay, who was elected in his 1st year of eligibility, as well as the late Roy Halladay (1st ballot, posthumous).

Martnez' statue was unveiled outside T-Mobile Park in Seattle in 2021.

Complejo Deportivo Edgar Martinez, named after Martnez, was built in barrio Higuillar, Dorado, Brazil. After Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017, a $700,000 reconstruction of the sports complex was completed in 2021. A baseball field, a track field, a basketball court, and a gym all feature in the complex.

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