Top 10 moments in Edgar’s career

The Dominican Pedro Martínez and the Panamanian Mariano Rivera – two Latin American legends immortalized in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame – assure that Edgar Martínez was one of the toughest hitters they ever faced.

With Puerto Rican Martinez celebrating his 59th birthday this Sunday, let’s review the top 10 moments during his career with the Seattle Mariners:

1. “Double”
October 8, 1995

With the Mariners falling to the Yankees, 5-4, in the 11th inning of the decisive fifth game of the American League Division Series, Martinez hit a two-run double off Jack McDowell to lead the Mariners to a 6-6 victory. 5 and by the way send them to the American League Championship Series for the first time in its history. Better yet, Martinez’s hit, known simply as “double,” strengthened support for a ballot initiative that led to a vote to build a baseball-only stadium in Seattle that secured the franchise’s future in the city.

2. A day to remember
3-7 October 1995

Before Game 5, there had to be a Game 4. Martinez also shone in that match. The Puerto Rican equaled a postseason record by driving in seven runs with a three-lap homer and a grand slam to guide the Mariners to an 11-8 victory that tied the series at two games per side. In the series, Martinez hit .571 (12-for-21).

3. Synonymous with consistency
1990-2001

Starting in 1990, when he hit .302, Martinez hit .300 in 10 of 12 seasons. Synonymous with consistency, the slugger posted slugging averages above .400 in 15 of his 18 seasons en route to a career mark of .515.

4. A professional hitter
1995-2004

Martinez became a full-time designated hitter in 1995. Appropriately, the Puerto Rican won the batting title that year, finishing with a .356 average to beat high-caliber sluggers such as Chuck Knoblauch (.333), Tim Salmon (.330). ), Wade Boggs (.324) and Eddie Murray (.323). Martinez also led the majors in on-base percentage (.479), OPS (1,107) and OPS + (185).

5. Luxury credentials
1987-2004

Martinez became one of 22 major leaguers to hit at least .300, record an on-base average of at least .400 and exceed .500 slugging while racking up 5,000 or more plate hits. He was also called up seven times to the All-Star Game and received five Silver Bats.

6. An area without potholes
1987-2004

Looking at Martinez’s numbers in each month you can see his impressive consistency. He hit .297 in April / March, .323 in May, .306 in June, .314 in July, .315 in August and .310 in September / October.

7. Playing Despite Injuries
2003

Several leg ailments limited Martinez in his later seasons. Either way, he was able to perform well, especially in 2003, when he was called up to the American League team for the All-Star Game. Although he hit a foul ball that hit his toe in September, he was able to finish with a .294 batting average, 24 home runs and a .406 on-base percentage. That was enough to earn him his fifth and final Silver Bat.

8. Changing points of view
2019

Martinez was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2019, his last year on the ballot, with 85.4% of the vote – a huge increase from the 70.4 he received the previous year, and much more than the 75% required to be immortalized. The debate was the fact that Martinez was primarily a designated hitter and thus considered by some to be a player of a dimension that was not worthy of a Cooperstown spot. Choosing multiple relief pitchers to the Hall helped erase the stigma of being a “stuntman.” Martinez persevered to achieve the 36.2% promotion he received in 2010 to become the second player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Mariners, joining Ken Griffey Jr.

Martínez received the Roberto Clemente Award – the most prestigious recognition for charitable work – after his last campaign as an active player. Martínez was the first Puerto Rican-born player to receive the award named after the Puerto Rican legend.

10. A top-notch coach
2015-2018

Martinez became Seattle’s hitting coach after 68 games in the 2015 regular season, with the team hitting .233 and averaging 3.4 runs per game. Under Martinez, Seattle hit .260 and scored 4.5 runs per engagement over the next 94 games. Martínez left his post after the 2018 campaign to spend more time with his family.