Buck Martinez
| Buck Martinez | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Catcher / Manager | |
| Born: November 7, 1948 Redding, California |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| June 18, 1969 for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1986 for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .225 |
| Home runs | 58 |
| Runs batted in | 321 |
| Teams | |
|
As player As manager |
John Albert "Buck" Martinez (born November 7, 1948) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager, and television baseball commentator for the Toronto Blue Jays. He played 17 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays.[1] After his playing career, he became a broadcaster. In 1987, he became a radio color analyst for Blue Jays games. He went on to become a color commentator for TSN for their Blue Jays games while occasionally working ESPN games.
More recently, he had provided color commentary for TBS and from 2003 to 2009 he was the color commentator for Baltimore Orioles television broadcasts on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. He managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001 until May 2002 when he was fired. He also managed Team USA at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.[2] On December 10, 2009, it was announced that Martinez would be the play-by-play announcer for the Rogers Sportsnet telecasts of Toronto Blue Jays games.[3] Martinez attended Elk Grove High School, Sacramento City College, Sacramento State University and Southwest Missouri State University.
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[edit] Playing career
Martinez made his major league debut in 1969, playing 72 games with the Kansas City Royals. Over the next few years, however, he developed the reputation of being an offensive liability, and he never appeared in more than 95 games during his time with Kansas City, through 1977.
Martinez was traded twice over the next few years, including to the Milwaukee Brewers in late 1977. In the midst of an 18–8 loss to Kansas City on Wednesday, August 29, 1979, the Brewers made several position changes, willingly losing their DH in the process. Amongst other moves, 3B Sal Bando was moved to pitcher in the 4th inning – he hurled three innings, going to bat in the fifth as a pitcher and popping up. In the 7th, Bando and 2B Jim Gantner switched positions, though while a pitcher Gantner never made it to the plate as a batter. The next inning, Martinez entered the game as the Brewers sixth pitcher of the day. As a pitcher, Martinez batted in the 9th, stroking an RBI single. For each of Bando, Gantner and Martinez, all of whom played in over 1,000 ML games, this game was their lone appearance in the majors as a pitcher. [1]
Martinez was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in early 1980 after being designated for assignment. He is most remembered for his time in Toronto, where he twice hit 10 home runs (in 1982 and 1983) and was regarded as a solid defensive catcher.
Martinez's career took a bad turn when he broke his leg and severely dislocated his ankle in a home plate collision with the Seattle Mariners' Phil Bradley at the Kingdome on July 9, 1985. After the collision, he still managed to throw the ball to third base in an attempt to catch the advancing runner, his former teammate Gorman Thomas. When the throw went into left field, Thomas tried to come home. However, he was tagged out by a sprawled-out Martinez, who had managed to catch the return throw from George Bell on the ground, thus completing what is perhaps the only 9–2–7–2 double play in Major League history.
Martinez attempted a comeback in 1986 but retired after hitting .181 in 81 games.
[edit] Broadcasting
In 1987, Martinez began his career as a radio color analyst for Toronto Blue Jays games. Eventually, this led to a job with TSN in which he was first paired with Fergie Olver; when Olver was replaced by Jim Hughson in 1990, Martinez remained the color analyst. The pair of Hughson and Martinez also worked together on a number of ESPN telecasts, as well as on EA Sports Triple Play Baseball. Hughson left TSN in 1994, and was replaced by Dan Shulman. Like Hughson, Shulman also frequently moonlighted on ESPN. Eventually, Shulman joined ESPN full-time, whereas Martinez pursued a managing career.
For the 2003 to 2009 seasons, he was the color commentator for Baltimore Orioles television broadcasts, alongside play-by-play announcers Jim Hunter and Gary Thorne on the MASN. Since 2005, Martinez has served as a co-host of XM Radio's Baseball This Morning show on the MLB Home Plate channel. Martinez also contributes color commentary for Sunday afternoon games on TBS, as well as for the network's postseason coverage. In late April 2009 Buck substituted for the ill Jerry Remy as commentator for the three game Red Sox-Rays series for NESN. On December 10, 2009, Rogers Sportsnet announced that Martinez would be the play-by-play announcer for the broadcaster's telecasts of Toronto Blue Jays games starting with the first game of the 2010 season. He replaced Jamie Campbell.
[edit] Managerial career
In 2000, Martinez was hired as Toronto's manager after Jim Fregosi's contract was not renewed. Martinez's energetic attitude was seen as the right fit for the Jays' young roster and through the first two months of the season Toronto outperformed expectations. The success, however, was short-lived as the team struggled through the remainder of the season and they finished a mediocre 80–82. He was fired 53 games into the 2002 season after posting a 20–33 record. Ironically, at the time he was fired the Blue Jays were on a three-game winning streak, having just swept the Detroit Tigers. He was then replaced by Carlos Tosca.
Martinez was selected as the field manager for Team USA in the 2006 inaugural World Baseball Classic. He led the team of superstar American players to the second round. Martinez wore number 13 as both a player and a manager in the Major Leagues. He wore number 31 while managing in the WBC, as Alex Rodriguez wore number 13.
[edit] Personal life
Martinez and his wife have one son Casey, a 47th round pick by Toronto in the 2000 First Year Player Draft. They reside in Clearwater, Florida.
[edit] Managerial record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| TOR | 2001 | 80 | 82 | .494 | 3rd | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 2002 | 20 | 33 | .377 | 3rd | – | – | – | (fired) |
| USA | 2006 | 3 | 3 | .500 | 8th | – | – | – | – |
| MLB Total | 100 | 115 | .465 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Int. Total | 3 | 3 | .500 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 103 | 118 | .466 | – | – | – | – |
[edit] References
4. http://www.mlb.mlb.com/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=tor
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Buck Martinez |
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Baseball Library: Buck Martinez
