By Larry LaRue
The News Tribune
OAKLAND – Edgar Martinez had a defining moment Tuesday, four days after surgery to remove a tendon from his left leg – he put on his own socks.
“Major victory,” said Martinez, who also shed his crutches.
No, he won’t be running any time soon, but on Friday in Seattle he’ll begin water therapy, which will allow him to do far more range-of-motion exercises.
Since hurting himself last week in Anaheim, Martinez has had surgery and put in six hours a day in the Mariners training room – a grind that teammates have tried to ease.
“It’s pretty tough duty, because you’re doing the same things over and over and over,” trainer Rick Griffin said. “He has a lot of guys ducking in to cheer him up.”
After Ruben Sierra, the designated hitter in Martinez’s absence, hit a grand slam home run against Texas, he ducked into the clubhouse and found Martinez on the training table.
“I did good, Papi!” Sierra said.
“I try to make him laugh,” Sierra said Monday. “What he’s going through is no fun, it’s hard work. He is such a good man, I would do anything for him. I can make him laugh.”
Though the usual rehabilitation time for the surgery Martinez had is 4-6 weeks, no one is quite certain how long the 39-year-old DH will be out.
“We’ll get him in the water Friday, and a week from then try to get him on the stationary bike,” Griffin said. “He gets the stitches out next Monday.
“He’s still got some pain and soreness, but it’s improving quickly.”
For Martinez, that means little things in life, like tying his shoes, are within reach.
“The first day at the hotel, I couldn’t answer the door, I couldn’t get to the bathroom, I couldn’t do anything,” Martinez said. “My wife, Holli, flew down to help me. I didn’t think she had to fly down, but I was awfully glad she did.”
Griffin is optimistic that Martinez may be back on schedule, in part because the surgery went so smoothly.
“The doctor said in past surgeries, he’d had to kind of dig around in the soft tissue to get some scarring, but Edgar didn’t have any so that wasn’t necessary,” Griffin said. “That might cut down on the time he needs to come back.”
Opponent: Oakland A’s
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
TV: FSN (cable)
Radio: KIRO (710 AM)
Pitchers: Seattle left-hander Jamie Moyer (1-1, 3.00) vs. Oakland right-hander Tim Hudson (2-0, 1.40)
His wife is pregnant: One day he was lockered in the Tacoma Rainiers clubhouse between teammates Justin Kaye and Brian Sweeney, and the next – Tuesday – Brian Fitzgerald was getting dressed beside Ichiro Suzuki. Yes, life changes.
Called up to shore up an overworked bullpen, the 27-year-old left-hander was all smiles in the Seattle clubhouse.
“I worked my whole life for this, and when they told me I was being called up I thought “Somebody’s lying to you,’” he said.
Fitzgerald quickly called his wife, Amber, who’s pregnant in Virginia. “She’s going to her family’s house tonight to watch the game on satellite,” he said. “I’m ready.”
To make room for Fitzgerald on the roster, the Mariners designated infielder Ron Wright for assignment.
Around the horn: The Rangers get a rematch with the Mariners in Safeco Field this weekend, and one of the things Texas must do is shut down an inning after it gets the first two outs. In the four-game series in Arlington, the Mariners scored 15 times with two out. … Ichiro’s first-inning double extended his hitting streak to 10 consecutive games. … Returning the favor: On Sunday, Kazuhiro Sasaki’s save of Shigetoshi Hasegawa’s win was the first win-save combination in major league history by Japanese-born pitchers. On Monday, when Hasegawa saved a win for Sasaki, it was the second.
Larry LaRue
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