Martinez experiences magic during Hall of Fame visit

Unsurprisingly, Martinez, after whom Major League Baseball’s Outstanding Designated Hitter Award is named, showed a particular interest in the batting-related artifacts on exhibit. He marveled at the visual display of Ted Williams’ strike zone and was awed by Babe Ruth’s 1927 bat, which features notches for many of the home runs Ruth hit during his historic season.

“That’s probably 40 ounces?” the DH asked, peering closely at Honus Wagner’s bat on display.

“When I was playing, I used heavier bats for practice – 35 ounces – but lighter ones for games – 31 ounces,” Martinez remarked. He also recalled that he would typically begin the season swinging a heavier bat, but would use lighter models as the year wore on, noting that “If I was seeing the ball well, I still had to be able to meet the ball.”

This strategy clearly worked well for Martinez, who finished his career with a .312/.418/.515 slash line and retired as one of only six players in history with at least 300 homers, 500 doubles, and at least a .300/.400/.500 line.

When the tour arrived at the Museum’s Latin American exhibit, Viva Baseball, he stopped in front of the Santurce Cangrejeros jersey on display. Martinez was born in New York City but moved to Dorado, Puerto Rico, when he was young, and chose to stay there with his grandparents, who were instrumental in fostering his love for baseball.

“My grandfather and I would listen to their games on the radio,” Martinez said. “We were big fans of Tony Pérez. He was the best hitter.”

Later on, in front of a display of Puerto Rican superstar Roberto Clemente’s jersey, Martinez paused and reflected on his own baseball journey.

“I was about nine years old, and my aunt was watching what probably were highlights of Roberto Clemente [in the 1971] World Series, and he homered and she was just screaming. But I remember after that I got really interested in the game,” Martinez said. “Right away I went outside and started hitting rocks with a broomstick, and I kind of fell in love with the game. Clemente became someone I wanted to emulate, I wanted to be like him. He became a role model. It’s like that for pretty much everyone in Puerto Rico.”

In 1982, Mariners scout Marty Martinez (no relation) offered the then-nineteen-year-old $4,000 to sign with Seattle. Martinez was uncertain, but fortunately his cousin and fellow future major leaguer Carmelo Martinez stepped in.

“At the time, I was working from 11 at night to 7 in the morning. I was going to school from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and playing baseball on the weekends [in a semi-pro league]. The amount of money that was offered to me, I knew I was taking a risk to play and make something happen, and I already had my plans. I wasn’t ready to sign, but Carmelo was the one who convinced me.”

His first experience playing baseball outside of Latin America came in 1983, when he flew up to Washington to play for the short-season Bellingham Mariners of the Class A Northwest League. It was hard to adapt to a new culture, he admitted, and to a new climate.

“That was the first thing I noticed,” Martinez chuckled. “It was cold.”

Martinez began his professional career as a third baseman, but knee issues ultimately led him to transition to the role of designated hitter.

“At the beginning it was kind of hard to accept [the transition to DH], because I didn’t know how it was going to affect my career,” Martinez said. “But I had to accept that the team was better when I was a DH. So I just accepted it and embraced the position.”

In his first full year as DH, in 1995, Martinez led the league in runs scored, doubles, on-base percentage and batting average, and helped carry the Mariners to their first American League Championship Series appearance in franchise history. His success carried on throughout the next few years, and he won the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award so many times that it was renamed the Edgar Martinez Award.