Mariners’ Martinezes Match Marvelous Beginnings
Edgar and Tino Martinez once shared more than a surname.
There was this baseball card. Tino’s picture. Edgar’s name. Same card.
“It was a minor-league card,” Edgar says.
Minor-league maybe, but it could become a major investment if the Mariner Martinezes keep hitting the way they’ve started in 1995. Edgar, the 1992 American League batting champion, is batting .364 after 13 games. Tino, who led the league for the first week, is at .350.
If they still shared the same card, they would be hitting .357 (30 of 84) with five doubles, four home runs and 16 runs batted in.
Each has played all 13 games, eight of them batting back-to-back, righty-lefty, generally fifth and sixth in the lineup.
“I enjoy batting behind him. You seem to notice things a lot more when you’re in the on-deck circle,” Tino said. “When he’s down 0-2 or certain counts, I see how he adjusts. I try to approach the game like he does. I’ve always tried to talk with him, for years.”
The admiration is mutual.
“I like the way he attacks the ball,” Edgar says. “I’ve been watching him since he first came up. I always knew he could hit. He’s like a bulldog. Even when he was going bad, he gave his 100-percent best effort every time.”
It was bad early last season for Tino. Almost a year ago, May 19, he was at his nadir, hitting .189.
“A lot of guys get off to slow starts, then the team went 0-5. That just made it worse,” says Tino, 27. “Everyone else was hitting, then you come up in key spots and don’t come through. It’s frustrating. You try to force things and make things happen, instead of just relaxing.”
The first baseman finally locked in June 28, when he began a 13-game hitting streak. Over his last 32 games he hit .353 with 11 homers and 27 RBIs.
“He started hitting like crazy right at the end of June,” hitting coach Lee Elia said. “He needed to have that good stretch to be himself again. It just confirmed what they’ve said years ago; this guy has some ability with the bat.
“He carried it over this year. It’s good to see him playing with a sense of freedom, in his mind.”
What had held him captive through the season’s first three months was concern over his left knee. He suffered torn ligaments Aug. 9, 1993, and underwent surgery.
He doesn’t use it as an excuse, but the other Martinez does.
“I believe that the legs are the most important part of hitting. And, for that matter, to play this game,” Edgar says. “After he got hurt, he didn’t have the same strength. It takes a while. I know. I saw myself what he went through.”
There’s another element they both share. Edgar also had a significant leg injury, two days before the start of the 1993 season. He suffered a torn left hamstring and did not play until May 17. He never found his rhythm, hitting just .237, 106 points worse than his league-leading average the previous season.