Yankees honor Tino Martinez

Tino Martinez was honored Saturday by the New York Yankees with a plaque to be placed in Monument Park.

Martinez’s tenure in pinstripes was celebrated during a 17-minute ceremony on the field before the Yankees’ game against the Baltimore Orioles in New York. The former first baseman credited his teammates and said he never could have imagined such a moment back when he was playing.

A clutch hitter with power, Martinez helped the Yankees win four World Series championships and five American League pennants from 1996-2001. He returned for a seventh season with New York in 2005 and finished his Yankees career with a .276 batting average, 192 homers and 739 RBIs.

Traded from Seattle to New York in December 1995, Martinez eagerly took on the unenviable task of replacing captain Don Mattingly at first base and soon became a fan favorite himself.

Gwynn remembered at private memorial

A private memorial service for Tony Gwynn was held at San Diego State University in San Diego.

Gwynn, who played for the Padres during his 20-year Hall of Fame career, died on Monday after battling cancer. He was 54.

Among the pallbearers for Gwynn was Padres manager Bud Black, a former teammate of Gwynn’s at San Diego State.

“The main theme was how respected he was,” Black said. “Not only as a baseball player, a baseball man, but as a family man: husband, father, son, brother. I think that’s what truly hit home with all of us.”

Among the 200 attendees were Hall of Famers Rod Carew, Cal Ripken, Dave Winfield and Ozzie Smith. The memorial speakers included Gwynn’s ex-Padres teammates Trevor Hoffman and John Kruk. A public tribute for Gwynn will be held Thursday night at Petco Park.

Gonzalez: Daughters, finger doing well

Carlos Gonzalez’s left index finger is getting stronger and stronger each day. So are his identical twin daughters who were born premature.

The Colorado Rockies’ All-Star outfielder proudly reported the newest additions to his family are “doing really good” as he reclined in his chair Saturday before his team played Milwaukee.

Gonzalez had surgery on June 10 to remove a tumor in his finger. Three days later, his daughters, Carlota and Genova, were born.

But at just 30 weeks old, they need to stay in the hospital a little while longer to develop. Gonzalez thinks it might be six more weeks before they can go home.

“But they’re really good, breathing by themselves,” Gonzalez said. “They just have to get bigger.”