SEATTLE – Long before the postgame ceremony that brought tears to the eyes of a full house, a night of memories for Edgar Martinez began with a precious moment.
His little girl jumped into his arms.
Martinez’s family – wife Holli Martinez, son Alex and daughter Tessa – had walked onto the field for the ceremonial first pitch before the Seattle Mariners’ game Saturday night. When Tessa saw Daddy behind the plate ready to catch Alex’s throw, she hopped out of mom’s grasp and ran into his arms.
In that brief, sweet moment, Edgar Martinez became more than the masterful right-handed hitter Northwest fans had grown to love.
In their eyes, he also was the adored father who will head into retirement after his final game today, able to give his full attention to his family.
“You are the best kids,” he said during the ceremony. “And now, Daddy is going to be home with you.”
The ceremony lasted more than an hour and brought back former teammates, surprise gifts and awards.
The best of them all, Martinez said, was one that completely shocked him.
Commissioner Bud Selig announced that baseball’s annual Designated Hitter of the Year Award “will forever be known as the Edgar Martinez Award.”
Sitting with his family near the pitcher’s mound, tears flooded Martinez’s eyes.
“I was crying, basically,” he said. “I had a lot of emotions when I heard that. I wasn’t expecting something that major. I couldn’t believe it.”
The surprises weren’t limited to the ceremony.
Martinez had gone 0-for-3 in the game and didn’t expect to get a final at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. So manager Bob Melvin sent him onto the field before the top of the ninth, putting Martinez at third base, the position he played so well as a youngster before injuries slowed him.
Martinez stayed there for only one pitch, a fastball outside by Aaron Taylor, before Willie Bloomquist replaced him.
The crowd cheered so loudly and for so long that the game stopped as Martinez stepped out of the dugout and tipped his cap.
“It felt very strange,” said Martinez, who hadn’t played third base since July 2, 1997. “I felt like home plate was a mile away.”
The gestures, honors and words of praise continued long after the game.
Holli Martinez told the crowd, “I can see how you have fallen in love with him as I have.”
Seattle mayor Greg Nickels announced that Atlantic Street alongside Safeco Field has been renamed “Edgar Martinez Drive.”
“When I become a grandfather,” Nickels said, “I’ll tell my grandchildren that I’ll meet them at 1 o’clock at the corner of First and Edgar.”
Marty Martinez, the scout who signed Martinez to his first contract, and Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda took part in the ceremony.
Four of Martinez’s teammates from the 1995 team – Jay Buhner, Mike Blowers, Norm Charlton and Dan Wilson – presented him with a chair from the Kingdome and one from Safeco Field.
Then Buhner stirred the crowd.
“Eighteen years in Seattle. That’s loyalty, folks,” Buhner said. “He could have gone anywhere he wanted. But he decided to stay right here and keep Seattle his home.
“Something tells me he’s going to be giving another speech, this time in New York, in Cooperstown.”
Wilson spoke on behalf of his current teammates as well, saying Martinez’s impact in the clubhouse was just as big as it was on the field.
“We all know the rule: Never meet your heroes,” Wilson said. “Edgar Martinez, No. 11, is the exception to that rule.”
Martinez, struggling to read the speech he had written – “My vision is not that good, I should have memorized it,” he said – thanked them all, plus the grandparents who raised him in Puerto Rico and instilled the values that made him a successful player.
“I wish they were here tonight,” he said. “I am the luckiest person to be raised by the most disciplined people.”
When the ceremony was over – after Martinez had thanked his wife and kids, his team, his fans and his city – his day came full circle.
At teammate Bret Boone’s insistence, he took a victory lap around Safeco Field, slapping hands with the lucky fans in the front row and giving the others a final close-up look at their hero.
When he arrived back where he started, his daughter was waiting.
And Tessa jumped back into his arms again.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
