Edgar Martinez (designated hitter)
From SoSH
| Born: | January 2, 1963 |
| Birthplace: | New York, NY |
| Height: | 5' 11" |
| Weight: | 210 lbs |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Drafted: | 1982: Amateur Free Agent, Seattle Mariners |
| College: | |
| High School: | |
| Teams: | Seattle Mariners 1987-2004 |
Contents |
Overall Career
Edgar Martinez, considered by some to be the greatest designated hitter in history, spent his entire career with the Seattle Mariners. He spent several years in Seattle's minor league system before finally making it to the major leagues in 1987, and did not play a full season until he was 27. He was a third baseman for the club until he tore his hamstring just before the 1993 season. He returned full-time as a designated hitter in 1995, and for the last ten seasons of his career, he was the driving force behind Seattle's offense.
One of Martinez's best performance was in the 1995 American League Division Series against the New York Yankees. In five games, he hit .571 and was on base 18 times. He set a single-game postseason record for RBI when, in Game 4, he hit a three-run home run and a grand slam. He was also responsible for driving in the winning run in Game 5 of that series, hitting a two-run double to seal the Mariners' 6-5 victory and send them to the ALCS.
Martinez is the Mariners' all-time leader in on-base percentage, games played, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, RBI, walks, singles, Runs Created, extra-base hits, times on base, times hit by pitch, and sacrifice flies. He was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2007. His uniform number 11 has not been issued since he retired.
Awards
- Seven-time All-Star (1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003)
- 1992 American League Silver Slugger Award (3B)
- 1995, 1997, 2001, & 2003 American League Silver Slugger Awards (DH)
- 2004 Roberto Clemente Award
- 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, & 2001 Designated Hitter of the Year (renamed the Edgar Martinez Award in 2004)
Achievements
- 2 batting titles: 1992 (.343) and 1995 (.356). To date, Martinez is the only player to win a batting title as a DH.
Trivia
- Seattle's South Atlantic Street was renamed Edgar Martinez Drive in October 2004.
- Was diagnosed with strabismus, an eye condition, in 1999.
Transactions
- December 19, 1982: Signed by the Seattle Mariners as an amateur free agent.
- October 28, 2004: Granted free agency.
External Links
- Edgar Martinez's career stats
- Edgar Martinez - Courtesy of Wikipedia
- Edgar's Greatest Hits - a collection of Edgar's appearances in commercials for the Mariners
