Edgar Martinez caught off-guard by Mariners’ decision to retire No. 11
Jan 24, 2017, 4:34 PM | Updated: Jan 25, 2017, 10:06 am
If Edgar Martinez fails to pick up the required 75 percent of the vote this year, next year will be his tenth and final year on the BBWAA ballot. (AP)
(AP)
In the summer of 1983, a 20-year-old Edgar Martinez found himself on a bus traveling from Sea-Tac Airport to Bellingham filled with six or seven strangers that would soon be teammates.
It is his first memory of being a Mariner.
“When I landed in Tacoma, the manager was there waiting for us,” he remembered Tuesday, after it was announced that he will become the second Mariners player to have his number retired later this year. “That was a very strange experience coming from Puerto Rico, a kid that didn’t know much English then, sitting on a bus with strangers. You didn’t know anybody, but at the same time I was excited to be playing baseball as a profession when I thought all the time it was a game. Now it was a profession.”
M’s to retire Martinez’s No. 11 | Video | Martinez on “Danny, Dave and Moore”
Edgar knew nothing of the Mariners when he stepped off that plane, having exposure only to the Yankees, Pirates and Orioles growing up. Now his name is intertwined in Mariners history.
The Double. Refuse to Lose. The street that Safeco Field sits on bears his name. And on Aug. 12, his number will take up residence on the centerfield facing alongside the numbers of Ken Griffey Jr. and Jackie Robinson.
“Edgar Martinez is the string that binds together our franchise history,” stated team president Kevin Mather when announcing that Martinez’s number would be retired.
The honor caught Edgar off-guard. He knew the criteria the Mariners held to retire a number was stringent. A player must first be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, or come close while spending all or a substantial part of his career in a Mariners uniform. The 58.6 percent that he received in the 2017 Hall of Fame balloting that was released last week was enough for the Mariners’ Board of Directors to approve just the second number retirement of a Mariner in club history.
For Edgar, the honor is humbling.
“It will be special to see my number next to Junior’s, one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” he said. “Also next to the great Jackie Robinson. That is amazing. Something I would never expect looking back at my career. It will be a reminder how lucky I am to be able to be able to be there with them.”
While the number will be retired, Edgar will continue to wear it as hitting coach for the Mariners. It is a job he has enjoyed.
“Hopefully I can wear it for years to come,” he said. “We have a great team, a great group of guys, the core of the team is very strong. The job that Jerry Dipoto and Scott Servais are doing is very impressive. The roster looks pretty strong and that makes it easy for me to stay around and keep looking for a World Series.”
As he chases his World Series and enshrinement in Cooperstown, Martinez feels the support around him. He thanked his family, the organization and those who have cheered for him the past 30-plus years.
“The Mariners fans gave me the motivation and helped me have the drive through my whole career,” he said. “They welcomed me to the city and gave me great support as fans.
“This is an incredible honor for me and my family. It is a gift that we will share forever.”
