POLL RESULTS: Edgar’s batting is his greatest achievement

The voters appreciated Edgar Martinez’s batting feats most, but they also appreciated the other things Martinez did for the Seattle Mariners.

The summer of Edgar appreciation reaches its next checkpoint this weekend when the Mariners celebrate Martinez’s election to the Baseball Hall of Fame prior to Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at T-Mobile Park. This comes three weeks after Martinez was ensconced in Cooperstown.

Therefore, this week’s Seattle Sidelines poll asked readers to reflect upon Martinez’s greatest accomplishment. Here’s how you voted:

POLL: Seattle Mariners legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez has his No. 11 retired by the team Saturday. What is his greatest accomplishment? Full context here: https://t.co/b54P0PTbeu

— Nick Patterson (@NickHPatterson) August 5, 2019

Add it all up and Martinez’s batting achievements, which include two American League batting titles, received the most votes at 45 percent. This is no surprise, given Martinez is regarded as perhaps the greatest right-handed hitter of his generation, including a .312 lifetime batting average and .418 career on-base percentage.

However, voters appreciated more than just what Martinez did with the bat. They appreciated his loyalty, which saw him spend all 18 seasons of his major-league career with Seattle. That option came in second, receiving 28 percent of the vote.

Readers also stumped for Martinez’s seminal moment, “The Double” that drove home the winning runs in the decisive Game 5 of the AL Division Series in 1995 against the New York Yankees. That came in a close third at 24 percent.

There were only 3 percent of the voters who picked the “other” category, but one of those voters left thoughts in the comments section:

“Edgar doing all of the above while he was fighting a minor eye condition that affected his ability to focus with that eye. He’s the man!”

Indeed, Martinez has a condition known as strabismus, which required him to perform specialized eye exercises during his career to make sure his eyesight was ready for hitting. The fact he was able to be as proficient as he was despite having vision issues underscores his greatness as a hitter.

This whole weekend at T-Mobile Park is an Edgar celebration. On Friday fans receive a Martinez Bobblehead in which he’s holding his Hall of Fame plaque. On Saturday fans receive a replica of Martinez’s Hall of Fame plaque, with the celebration ceremony featuring other Seattle sports greats like Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Largent and Jack Sikma beginning at 6:30 p.m. On Sunday there will be a pregame roundtable featuring Martinez, Griffey and others, and after the game fans receive a replica Edgar Martinez Drive South street sign.

All of which is worthy for an all-time Mariners great.

This story has been modified to correct the weekend’s events and giveaways.