Tippy Martinez

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Martinez was drafted by the Washington Senators in the 35th round of the 1969 amateur draft, but did not sign with the team. He began his MLB career with the New York Yankees in 1974 after signing as a free agent. He was acquired along with Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor, Rudy May and Dave Pagan by the Orioles for Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Elrod Hendricks, Grant Jackson and Jimmy Freeman at the trade deadline on 15 June 1976. He, Dempsey and McGregor became part of a nucleus that enabled the Orioles to continue as perennial contenders for the next decade, culminating with the 1983 World Series championship.

In Their Own Story

The 1983 postseason was defined by Martinez's clutch performances. On September 25 at Milwaukee County Stadium, he was on the mound when the Orioles clinched the division title with a 5–1 victory over the Brewers. Just weeks later, in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, he secured the pennant for Baltimore. His career concluded in 1988 with the Minnesota Twins after 14 total MLB seasons. Throughout his tenure, Martinez posted a lifetime record of 55 wins and 42 losses with an ERA of 3.45 and recorded 115 saves. Following his playing days, he transitioned to coaching, becoming the pitching coach for the York Revolution in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball in December 2006.

Reader's Guide

A notable Martinez achievement during the 1983 season was picking off Barry Bonnell, Dave Collins and Willie Upshaw at first base in a single frame of a ten-inning 7–4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Memorial Stadium on August 24. The Orioles, having replaced both their starting catcher and his backup while rallying to tie the game in the ninth inning, entered the tenth with reserve infielder Lenn Sakata in the game at catcher. Three consecutive Blue Jays hitters reached first base and each one, thinking it would be easy to steal a base on Sakata, took a big lead. Martinez picked off all three baserunners, then became the winning pitcher when the Orioles won the game on Sakata's home run in the bottom of the tenth. He was on the mound when the Orioles clinched the division title in a 5–1 victory over the Brewers at Milwaukee County Stadium on September 25 and the pennant in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, earning a save and a win respectively. A grassroots fan club was created for Tippy Martinez near the bullpen in left field of Memorial Stadium in 1980, called "Tippy's Tweeters". Fans blew on an official Oriole Tweeter every time Martinez entered a game as a reliever, and when he struck out the side. Martinez finished his MLB career with the Minnesota Twins in 1988. He posted a lifetime win–loss record of 55–42 with an ERA of 3.45. He also recorded 115 saves. In December 2006, Martinez became the pitching coach of the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

Did You Know?

• Martinez picked off three Toronto Blue Jays baserunners in a single inning on August 24, 1983.
• He was part of a six-player trade from the Yankees to the Orioles on June 15, 1976.
• A fan club called 'Tippy's Tweeters' blew Oriole Tweeters when he entered games.