Remembering Tino

Devil Rays first baseman is a throwback to Yankees recent glory days




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
May 30, 2004

As I sat watching the Yankees-Devil Rays game Friday I couldn’t help but watch Tino Martinez. I kept thinking about how much he meant to the Yankees and how I have missed having him in pinstripes.

The next thing I thought about was Tino is playing first base as our regular first baseman is on the DL. Regardless of what people think about Tino’s offensive numbers one thing that can’t be denied is his defensive prowess at first base. Tino Martinez is the greatest defensive first baseman never to have won a Gold Glove award.

Another thing that can’t be denied is Tino’s durability. Who can ever forget all the heat Tino took at the beginning of the 2001 season when his offensive numbers were suffering. What no one, but those close to Tino, knew was he had two suspicious moles removed from an area of his back that pulled when he swung the bat. Martinez took 14 stitches to close the incision. He never whined, he never complained and he never took out his frustration in the press or at the fans. However, once his incision healed Tino went on a tear and ended the season with one of his offensive best efforts as a Yankee. He hit 34 home runs and knocked in 113 runs. He hit one of the most dramatic home runs in World Series history as he sent Byung-Hyun Kim’s ball over the right-centerfield wall to tie Game 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Derek Jeter later ended it with a solo homer with the next at bat as the Yankees won 5-4 to tie the series 2-2.

Who could forget Tino’s grand slam in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series against the San Diego Padres? That blow put the Yankees in the lead 9-6 and set the tone for that series as the Yankees swept the Padres 4-0 to win their second title in three years.

Tino is a proven leader. In the six years he was in New York he helped lead the Yankees to four World Series titles. The Yankees played in the series five of those six years. Isn’t it interesting that since Tino, Paul O’Neill and Scott Brosius departed the Yankees have been unable to get over the hump to another championship?

People will point to Tino’s two disappointing seasons in St. Louis. True, Tino didn’t have the best of years there, but I submit that a lot of Tino’s unimpressive numbers had a lot to do with how happy he was. Ask yourselves, how would you have felt being discarded by the team you helped to four championships and five appearances in World Series? I would imagine you would feel pretty hurt and angry at that treatment. Additionally, I will point to American League vs. National League. Tino is an American League guy. You’ll note his numbers went up immediately upon coming back to the American League and playing for the guy he played for in Seattle. He also has Lee Elia who knows Tino’s batting style from their Seattle days and so far what I’ve seen is a guy who is again comfortable in his surroundings. Hence, the better numbers have reappeared. So far this year Tino has hit 7 home runs and driven in 25. Projected out over a season Tino would have 25 home runs and 88 RBI in 144 games played. Not too shabby for a blue collar worker like Tino.

In the past eleven years Tino has averaged 146 games played in a 162 game season. That translates to Tino being on the field 90% of the time. That shows his durability. In his career Martinez has hit 306 home runs and driving in 1171 runs. Not exactly Ruthian numbers, but nothing to turn your back on either. For all of this Tino is being paid a handsome $7.5 million.

This is not to open up old wounds or to start an us against them debate about Tino. All I am doing is fondly remembering a guy who, for six years, played his heart out for the New York Yankees.

Last year I was fortunate enough to see Tino’s return to Yankee Stadium as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. I was sitting in attendance the night Roger Clemens threw his 300th game and 4,000th strikeout. The unfortunate victim of that “K” was Edgar Renteria. What fans may or may not know is the guy on deck when Roger blew down Edgar was Tino. I breathed, as I’m sure Tino did, a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to be the answer to the trivia question, “Who did Roger Clemens strike out to record his 4,000th career strikeout.” However, Tino did become the Rocket’s 4,001st victim.

The best for Tino and Yankee fans alike came the very next day as the Yankees and Cardinals hooked up for an afternoon game. As witnessed the day before Tino got a standing ovation from the appreciative Yankees crowd. With everyone shouting, “Tino, Tino, Tino,” every time he stepped into the box Tino gave back some of the love being shown him. He knocked out two, two-run home runs, which were all the runs the Cardinals scored that day in a 15-4 blowout. The score didn’t matter. Each time Tino rounded the bases the Stadium went nuts for the departed ex-Yankees first baseman. It was our way of saying thanks for all you did Tino. Thanks for the memories.

It is said that one should never look back, but ever forward. I guess that’s true, but when I see a guy who I cheered my heart out for in another uniform it’s hard not to take a peek backwards and think “what if?” Thankfully, I will be able to see Tino wear Yankees’ pinstripes again one day. I’ll just have to wait for “Old Timer’s Day” or a future Spring Training when Tino is invited as a guest coach. Maybe he’ll be in the Yankees dugout for real as a coach. Who knows? Only the future can tell us that. In the meantime, I wish Tino a lot of success with his new team and I just want to say “Thanks for the memories Tino.”



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