Buck Martinez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buck Martinez |
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Martinez in 2009
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| Catcher / Manager | |||
| Born: November 7, 1948 Redding, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 18, 1969, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 3, 1986, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .225 | ||
| Home runs | 58 | ||
| Runs batted in | 321 | ||
| Managerial record | 100–115 | ||
| Winning % | .465 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
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John Albert "Buck" Martinez was born on November 7, 1948. He is an American who used to play professional baseball as a catcher. He also worked as a manager. Today, he is a television commentator for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.
Buck Martinez played for 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Kansas City Royals, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Toronto Blue Jays. After he stopped playing, he became a well-known broadcaster. He worked for the Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles on radio and TV. He also worked for national channels like TBS and MLB Network. Martinez was the manager for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001 to May 2002. He also managed Team USA in the first ever World Baseball Classic in 2006.
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Playing Baseball
Buck Martinez went to several colleges, including Sacramento City College. He first signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent. Later, the Houston Astros picked him in a special draft. In 1968, the Astros traded Martinez to the Kansas City Royals.
Starting His MLB Career
Martinez played his first major league game on June 18, 1969. He played against the Oakland Athletics. He came into the game to bat and hit a fly ball for the last out. That season, he played in 72 games for the Royals. He hit .229, which means he got a hit about 22.9% of the time he batted. He also hit four home runs and had 23 RBI.
In the book Ball Four by Jim Bouton, Martinez is mentioned. Bouton's team didn't know much about Martinez. Their manager, Joe Schultz, famously told them to just "zitz" him, meaning to pitch to him without much strategy.
Time with the Royals
Over the next few years, Martinez became known for his strong defense. However, he didn't hit very well. He never played more than 95 games in a season while with Kansas City. In the 1976 American League Championship Series, Martinez hit well, getting hits 33.3% of the time. He also had 4 RBI in five games.
Moving to Other Teams
On December 8, 1977, Martinez was traded twice in one day! First, he went to the St. Louis Cardinals. Then, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.
On August 29, 1979, Martinez did something very unusual. In a game where the Brewers were losing badly, he came in to pitch. It was his only time pitching in a major league game. As a pitcher, he even got a hit that brought in a run!
Joining the Blue Jays
Martinez was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on May 10, 1981. He is best remembered for his time with the Blue Jays. He hit 10 home runs in both 1982 and 1983. He was also known as a very good defensive catcher. During this time, Martinez worked well with the Blue Jays' best pitcher, Dave Stieb. They formed a strong battery, which means a good pitcher-catcher team.
A Famous Play and Injury
On July 9, 1985, Martinez had a serious injury. He broke his leg and badly dislocated his ankle. This happened during a collision at home plate with Seattle Mariners player Phil Bradley. Even with a broken leg, Martinez tried to throw out another runner, Gorman Thomas. The throw went into left field, and Thomas tried to score. But Martinez, lying on the ground, caught the ball thrown back from George Bell. He then tagged Thomas out, completing a rare 9–2–7–2 double play.
After this injury, the Blue Jays released Martinez on November 12, 1986. He wanted to keep playing, but his wife convinced him to take a job with the Blue Jays' TV team.
Broadcasting Career
After he stopped playing in 1986, Martinez started working as a TV commentator for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1987. He worked with different partners over the years, like Fergie Olver, Jim Hughson, and Dan Shulman. He even worked on ESPN games and the Triple Play Baseball video game series.
Martinez won a Sports Emmy Award for his work on ESPN. This award was for his part in the broadcast of Cal Ripken's 2,131st game in a row.
From 2003 to 2009, he was a commentator for the Baltimore Orioles TV broadcasts. He also co-hosted a baseball show on XM Radio. In 2009, he filled in for Jerry Remy as a commentator for the Boston Red Sox.
In 2010, Martinez returned to the Blue Jays' broadcast team. He became a play-by-play announcer for Sportsnet. His main partner was former Blue Jay Pat Tabler. Since 2016, he has shared duties, sometimes doing play-by-play and sometimes being the color analyst. In 2014, he signed a five-year deal to stay with the Blue Jays.
From 2016 to 2020, Martinez also worked on the international broadcast of the World Series.
On April 17, 2022, Martinez announced he would take a break to get treatment for cancer. He finished his treatment and returned to Sportsnet on July 26, 2022.
Managerial Career
In 2000, the Toronto Blue Jays hired Martinez to be their manager. He was seen as a good fit for the team's young players. The team started well in 2001, but then struggled and finished with 80 wins and 82 losses. Martinez was fired 53 games into the 2002 season. At that time, the Blue Jays had a record of 20 wins and 33 losses. He was replaced by Carlos Tosca.
Martinez was chosen to manage Team USA in the first World Baseball Classic in 2006. He led the American team, which had many famous players, to the second round of the tournament.
Managerial Record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Postseason | |||||||
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| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| TOR | 2001 | 162 | 80 | 82 | .494 | 3rd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 2002 | 53 | 20 | 33 | .377 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 215 | 100 | 115 | .465 | – | 0 | 0 | – | ||
Personal Life
Buck Martinez is married to Arlene. They have one son named Casey. Casey was picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2000 baseball draft. Buck and Arlene live in New Port Richey, Florida.
Martinez has written three books. They are called From Worst To First: The Toronto Blue Jays in 1985, The Last Out: The Toronto Blue Jays In 1986, and Change Up: How to Make the Great Game of Baseball Even Better (published in 2016).
Buck Martinez is a member of the Karuk Tribe. This is a Native American tribe from northern California. His mother, Shirley, grew up in Happy Camp, where the Karuk Tribe is based.
In April 2022, Martinez was diagnosed with cancer. He finished his cancer treatment in June 2022.
