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Cooperstown Calls Up Edgar Martinez

02.15.2019

The 1995 Mariners season will forever by intertwined with the legend of Edgar Martinez for Seattle baseball fans. In arguably the best playoff performance by any Major League Baseball (MLB) player, Edgar hit .571 BA, with a .667 OBP, 1.000 Slugging % and an OPS of 1.667 in the '95 American League Division Series (ALDS). Reaching base 18 times in those 5 games and producing game-winning (game 4) and series winning (game 5) hits, was a vital part of winning the battle of hearts-and-minds necessary to keep MLB in Seattle. He had a lot of help from Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr, Jay Buhner, Alex Rodriguez and the rest of the Mariners — along with local politician and news media support. But without Edgar, would it have happened?

He's the antithesis of braggadocious. He won't win Mr. Personality. He wasn't crowned 'Most Likely to Succeed'. No fanfare accompanied his selection in the draft. His path to the majors wasn't followed by beat writers.

Until he was tearing the covers off baseballs and playing third base for the Calgary Cannons in the Pacific Coast League, the Mariners AAA club, Edgar Martinez was just another maybe. Unfortunately, in 1987, he was stuck behind another 24 year old at the time on the big club, Jim Presley. Yes, Jim Presley (lifetime .247 BA in 8 seasons) kept Edgar in AAA until Edgar forced the issue.

Then Edgar was overwhelmed. The team sent him back down in 1989 after 65 games of .240 ball. He didn't become a regular until the 1990 season at the age of 27, when they called him up for good playing 144 games, hitting .302. Three years later, injuries are mounting and his career again reaches a potential ending point. He turns to being a Designated Hitter (DH), then demonstrates such excellence, they name the yearly award after him.

He later retires and is immediately projected by most (outside of the Mariner fan base) to miss the Hall of Fame by 'just this much'. First year on the ballot seems to confirm as much as he polled at 36.2% but hard work and patience pay off again with 85.4% putting him over the necessary 75% in his last year of eligibility.

Maybe that's why we love him so much, he earned everything, nothing came easy.


During that fateful season during 1995, I joined many thousands of Mariner fans at several rallies around Seattle to show support for keeping our MLB franchise in town.

If you weren't born just yet, the summarized situation is the Mariners were going to leave town without some taxpayer supplied stadium funds. Yes, that old shakedown. Public opinion was split, a stadium vote had failed and the only chance left was public pressure and a miraculous Mariners baseball season. The M's kept their part of the bargain and eventually the city was convinced.

At one of these rallies, I distinctly remember Edgar walking through the crowd towards the podium with his wife Holly, right past me. My jaw dropped in surprise as it became clear to me that this giant of a man was no giant at all. He was, well ... normal-sized. He could've been your lawyer or a school teacher or ... you know, someone normal. I had obviously built up his stature in my mind. It always surprised me that I had fooled myself in this manner but in some ways it made me respect Edgar even more.

It's inevitable that some will question Edgar's inclusion in the HOF. It's irrelevant, of course, because he's in, period. Some don't like the 309 homers, some are generally biased against the DH position and some may note the lack of MVPs or World Series rings. The doubters don't appear to find much agreement among former MLB players, especially pitchers. Including the only player ever voted unanimously to the Hall, Mariano Rivera.


'Gar' and 'The Kid' remain my favorite Mariners, although fondess extends to numerous other players that I won't list here. Congratulations to Edgar is the point. Congratulations to the Seattle Mariners. To the City of Seattle too and anyone who appreciates having a Major League Baseball team in the area. As a surprise to no one who follows him, Edgar responded to his many fans with class and humility. Maybe that's why we love him so much.