J. C. Martin
Encyclopedia
Joseph Clifton Martin is a former Major League Baseball
player. The left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing Martin played for the Chicago White Sox
from 1959-1967, New York Mets
in 1968 and 1969 and Chicago Cubs
from 1970-1972.
Martin was scouted by the White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1956. After five seasons in the ChiSox farm system, which included callups to the majors late in and , Martin became a regular in . Splitting time between first base
and third base
, Martin batted
.230 with five home run
s and 32 runs batted in
.
Martin converted into a catcher
in , after Al Lopez
convinced him to go down to the minor leagues and learn to catch. Regular catcher Sherm Lollar
was at the tail end of his career at the age of 37; moreover, the White Sox had traded Earl Battey
and Johnny Romano
and had no catchers in their farm system. As the team’s regular catcher, Martin batted only .205 in and .197 in ; however, he exhibited his value to the team in catching a pitching rotation that contained the likes of Gary Peters, Juan Pizarro
, Joe Horlen
(whose no-hitter
Martin would catch in ) and Ray Herbert
, as well as closer Hoyt Wilhelm
.
In Martin batted a career-best .261; however, he also set a major league record with 33 passed ball
s (after committing 24 the year before)—due, in large part, to catching knuckleball
pitchers Wilhelm and Eddie Fisher
. This record stood until Geno Petralli
committed 35 passed balls in .
In Martin batted .234 on a team that was involved in a four-way pennant race with the Minnesota Twins
, Detroit Tigers
and Boston Red Sox
for the American League
pennant, which the latter of these teams won on the final day of the season. The White Sox had been eliminated from pennant contention after losing a doubleheader
to the lowly Kansas City Athletics
on September 27. After the season, the White Sox traded Martin to the New York Mets to complete a deal that had been made earlier in the season. On July 22 of that year the Mets had traded Ken Boyer
to the White Sox for Bill Southworth
. Both teams received a player to be named later
in the deal; Sandy Alomar, Sr.
was traded to the White Sox on August 15 to complete one side of the trade, and the trade of Martin to the Mets on November 27 completed the other. In another deal that same offseason, the White Sox traded Tommie Agee
and Al Weis
to the Mets with four players (among them Tommy Davis
and Jack Fisher
) going to the White Sox.
In Martin, as one of two backup catchers to Jerry Grote
(the other was Duffy Dyer
), played on a Mets team that shockingly won the National League East
title (both leagues now had two divisions after expanding from 10 teams to 12) after trailing the Chicago Cubs
by as many as 10 games in August. In Game One of the first-ever NLCS
, which the Mets swept over the Atlanta Braves
, Martin, pinch-hitting
for Tom Seaver
, drove in Weis and Ed Kranepool
with a base-hit off Phil Niekro
during a five-run eighth inning, the Mets winning the game 9-5. The Mets went on to win the World Series
in equally surprising fashion, in five games over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles
. In Game Four of that Series, his Mets leading two games to one, Martin was involved in a controversial play. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 10th and pinch-runner Rod Gaspar
on second, Martin, again pinch-hitting for Seaver, bunted to the mound and, while running to first, was hit on the arm by Pete Richert
’s errant throw, the error allowing Gaspar to score the winning run. Replays later showed that Martin had been running inside the baseline, which could have resulted in him being called out for interference; however, the umpires said they didn’t make the call because they felt Martin didn’t intentionally interfere with the play. As a result of this play, the running lane that extends from halfway down the first-base line to the bag was added to all major league fields. A runner can be running in this lane and be hit by a thrown ball and not be called for interference.
Martin was traded to the Chicago Cubs on March 29, for catcher Randy Bobb. After being released by the Cubs during spring training
of , Martin served on their coaching staff in . He was also a White Sox broadcaster alongside Harry Caray
on WSNS in .
In his career Martin batted .222 with 32 home runs and 230 RBIs in 908 games played
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. The left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing Martin played for the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
from 1959-1967, New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in 1968 and 1969 and Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
from 1970-1972.
Martin was scouted by the White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1956. After five seasons in the ChiSox farm system, which included callups to the majors late in and , Martin became a regular in . Splitting time between first base
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and third base
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
, Martin batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.230 with five home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 32 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
.
Martin converted into a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
in , after Al Lopez
Al Lopez
Alfonso Ramon "Al" Lopez was an American catcher and manager in Major League Baseball, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977....
convinced him to go down to the minor leagues and learn to catch. Regular catcher Sherm Lollar
Sherm Lollar
John Sherman Lollar was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , St. Louis Browns , and the Chicago White Sox...
was at the tail end of his career at the age of 37; moreover, the White Sox had traded Earl Battey
Earl Battey
Earl Jesse Battey, Jr. was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago White Sox , the Washington Senators and the Minnesota Twins...
and Johnny Romano
Johnny Romano
John Anthony Romano Jr. is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago White Sox , Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals . He threw and batted right-handed...
and had no catchers in their farm system. As the team’s regular catcher, Martin batted only .205 in and .197 in ; however, he exhibited his value to the team in catching a pitching rotation that contained the likes of Gary Peters, Juan Pizarro
Juan Pizarro
Juan Ramon Pizarro Cordova is a former major league baseball pitcher.-Milwaukee Braves:Juan Pizarro signed with the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1956. After going 27-6 with a 2.06 earned run average in the minors, he made his major league debut on May 4, 1957 against the Pittsburgh...
, Joe Horlen
Joe Horlen
Joel Edward Horlen is a right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. Horlen pitched for the Chicago White Sox from to , and the Oakland Athletics in ....
(whose no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
Martin would catch in ) and Ray Herbert
Ray Herbert
Raymond Ernest Herbert was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. He won 20 games with the White Sox in and was selected to play in the All-Star game. The following season, he led...
, as well as closer Hoyt Wilhelm
Hoyt Wilhelm
James Hoyt Wilhelm was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985....
.
In Martin batted a career-best .261; however, he also set a major league record with 33 passed ball
Passed ball
In baseball, a catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that, with ordinary effort, should have been maintained under his control. When, as a result of this loss of control, the batter or a runner on base advances, the catcher is thereby charged...
s (after committing 24 the year before)—due, in large part, to catching knuckleball
Knuckleball
A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
pitchers Wilhelm and Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher (baseball)
Eddie Gene Fisher was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants , Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians , California Angels and St...
. This record stood until Geno Petralli
Geno Petralli
Eugene James Petralli is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1993, primarily as a catcher.- Early life :...
committed 35 passed balls in .
In Martin batted .234 on a team that was involved in a four-way pennant race with the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
for the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
pennant, which the latter of these teams won on the final day of the season. The White Sox had been eliminated from pennant contention after losing a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
to the lowly Kansas City Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
on September 27. After the season, the White Sox traded Martin to the New York Mets to complete a deal that had been made earlier in the season. On July 22 of that year the Mets had traded Ken Boyer
Ken Boyer
Kenton Lloyd Boyer was an American Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. During a 15-year baseball career, he played for 1955-1969 for four different teams, playing primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals...
to the White Sox for Bill Southworth
Bill Southworth
William Frederick Southworth is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. Southworth played for the Milwaukee Braves in the season. In 3 career games, he had two hits in seven at-bats...
. Both teams received a player to be named later
Player to be named later
The concept of the "player to be named later" is most often associated with Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball trades.-Description:...
in the deal; Sandy Alomar, Sr.
Sandy Alomar, Sr.
Santos "Sandy" Alomar, Sr., or in the Spanish naming system Santos Alomar Conde is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves , New York Mets , Chicago White Sox , California Angels , New York Yankees , and Texas Rangers . Alomar was a...
was traded to the White Sox on August 15 to complete one side of the trade, and the trade of Martin to the Mets on November 27 completed the other. In another deal that same offseason, the White Sox traded Tommie Agee
Tommie Agee
Tommie Lee Agee was a Major League Baseball center fielder most noted for making two of the greatest catches in World Series history, both of which occurred in game three of the 1969 World Series.-Cleveland Indians:...
and Al Weis
Al Weis
Albert John Weis is a former Major League Baseball infielder.Weis grew up in Bethpage, New York, and graduated from Farmingdale, New York, High School in 1955...
to the Mets with four players (among them Tommy Davis
Tommy Davis
Herman Thomas Davis, Jr. is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder and third baseman. He played from 1959-1976 for ten different teams, but he is best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. During an 18-year baseball career, Davis batted .294 with 153 home runs, 2,121...
and Jack Fisher
Jack Fisher
John Howard Fisher was a Major League Baseball pitcher. The right-hander was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent on June 24, 1957. He played for the Orioles , San Francisco Giants , New York Mets , Chicago White Sox , and Cincinnati Reds...
) going to the White Sox.
In Martin, as one of two backup catchers to Jerry Grote
Jerry Grote
Gerald Wayne Grote is a former professional baseball player. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the New York Mets and was regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of his era.-Early life:...
(the other was Duffy Dyer
Duffy Dyer
Donald Robert "Duffy" Dyer is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the New York Mets , Pittsburgh Pirates , Montreal Expos , and Detroit Tigers .-Playing career:Dyer played alongside Sal Bando and Rick Monday as a member of...
), played on a Mets team that shockingly won the National League East
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
title (both leagues now had two divisions after expanding from 10 teams to 12) after trailing the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
by as many as 10 games in August. In Game One of the first-ever NLCS
1969 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 4, 1969 at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Mets struck first in the second off Phil Niekro when Jerry Grote singled in a run and Ken Boswell scored on a passed ball by Braves catcher Bob Didier...
, which the Mets swept over the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, Martin, pinch-hitting
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
for Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver , nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets...
, drove in Weis and Ed Kranepool
Ed Kranepool
Edward Emil Kranepool is a former first baseman who spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the New York Mets....
with a base-hit off Phil Niekro
Phil Niekro
Philip Henry Niekro , nicknamed "Knucksie" because of his usage and skill level with the knuckleball, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....
during a five-run eighth inning, the Mets winning the game 9-5. The Mets went on to win the World Series
1969 World Series
The 1969 World Series was played between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles, with the Mets prevailing in five games to accomplish one of the greatest upsets in Series history, as that particular Orioles squad was considered to be one of the finest ever...
in equally surprising fashion, in five games over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. In Game Four of that Series, his Mets leading two games to one, Martin was involved in a controversial play. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 10th and pinch-runner Rod Gaspar
Rod Gaspar
Rodney Earl Gaspar is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.A switch hitter, Gaspar played for the New York Mets and San Diego Padres ....
on second, Martin, again pinch-hitting for Seaver, bunted to the mound and, while running to first, was hit on the arm by Pete Richert
Pete Richert
Peter Gerard Richert is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Washington Senators , Baltimore Orioles , St...
’s errant throw, the error allowing Gaspar to score the winning run. Replays later showed that Martin had been running inside the baseline, which could have resulted in him being called out for interference; however, the umpires said they didn’t make the call because they felt Martin didn’t intentionally interfere with the play. As a result of this play, the running lane that extends from halfway down the first-base line to the bag was added to all major league fields. A runner can be running in this lane and be hit by a thrown ball and not be called for interference.
Martin was traded to the Chicago Cubs on March 29, for catcher Randy Bobb. After being released by the Cubs during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
of , Martin served on their coaching staff in . He was also a White Sox broadcaster alongside Harry Caray
Harry Caray
Harry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...
on WSNS in .
In his career Martin batted .222 with 32 home runs and 230 RBIs in 908 games played
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
.