Joe Martinez (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Joseph A. Martinez is a Major League Baseball
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...

 pitcher.

High school and college

Born in South Orange, New Jersey
South Orange, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,964 people, 5,522 households, and 3,766 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,945.3 people per square mile . There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of 1,987.5 per square mile...

, Martinez attended Seton Hall Preparatory School
Seton Hall Preparatory School
Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep, is a Roman Catholic boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Archdiocese of Newark...

 in West Orange. He went to Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...

 where he went 0–0 with a 0.00 ERA in seven games (26 innings) in 2002. In 2003, he went 1–0 with a 9.16 ERA in six games (18 2/3 innings). He went 2–4 with a 0.87 ERA in 15 games in 2004 (52 innings, striking out 56 batters. In 2005 with Boston College, he was used entirely as a starting pitcher, making 12 appearances and going 8–3 with a 2.63 ERA.

Minor leagues

He was drafted in the 12th round of the 2005 amateur draft, and began his professional career the same year. He received a $250,000 signing bonus. He played for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball team in Keizer, Oregon, United States. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997...

 in 2005, going 4–3 with a 4.30 ERA in 15 games (13 starts). In 2006, he played for the Augusta Greenjackets
Augusta GreenJackets
The Augusta GreenJackets are a minor league baseball team that plays in Augusta, Georgia, as a Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Lake Olmstead Stadium has been the home of the GreenJackets since the 1995 season, although Augusta has fielded a team in the South Atlantic League since 1988...

, going 15–5 with a 2.99 ERA in 26 starts. For the San Jose Giants
San Jose Giants
The San Jose Giants are a minor league baseball team in San Jose, California, USA. They are a Class A - Advanced team in the Northern Division of the California League, and have been a farm team of the San Francisco Giants since 1988. Home games are played at San Jose Municipal Stadium...

 in 2007, Martinez went 10–10 with a 4.26 ERA in 28 starts, and in 27 starts with the Connecticut Defenders
Connecticut Defenders
The Connecticut Defenders were a minor league baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 season, when the Defenders relocated to Richmond,...

 in 2008 he went 10–10 with a 2.49 ERA.

Major leagues

Martinez had his first win during his Major League Baseball
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...

 debut on April 7, 2009. He pitched two innings, walking and striking out one but also gave up two earned runs, giving him an ERA of 9.00. Like many other San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

 on the 2009 opening day roster, he is a home grown talent. Martinez, along with four other Giants, made their first opening day debuts. These players include Fred Lewis
Fred Lewis
Frederick Deshaun Lewis is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He made his debut on September 1, , with the San Francisco Giants. He is the cousin of former major league outfielder Matt Lawton. Lewis also hit the 46th Splash Hit at AT&T Park...

, Pablo Sandoval
Pablo Sandoval
Pablo E. Sandoval , nicknamed Kung Fu Panda, is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Sandoval is a 5'11", 237 pound switch hitter. He was born left handed, but did not want to have to play outfield all of his career. He therefore...

, Travis Ishikawa
Travis Ishikawa
Travis Takashi Ishikawa |Washington]]) is an American Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently with the San Francisco Giants organization...

 and Emmanuel Burriss
Emmanuel Burriss
Emmanuel "Manny" Allen Burriss is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. He is a switch-hitter who throws right-handed and has played second base, shortstop, and third base.-Early life:...

. On April 9, while pitching in the 9th inning, he suffered a direct line-drive hit off the bat of Mike Cameron
Mike Cameron
Michael Terrance Cameron is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has previously played for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Florida Marlins.Cameron has won 3...

 to his forehead and sustained a laceration and a nose bleed. He was able to walk off the field unaided, but was taken immediately to nearby St. Francis Memorial Hospital where it was determined he had a concussion and three fractured bones, but the CT scan did not turn up anything that looked serious. He remained in the hospital for overnight observation, and stayed there for the next few days.

On August 5, 2009, Martinez returned to the major leagues, starting in a game against the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

. He replaced Ryan Sadowski
Ryan Sadowski
Ryan Keith Sadowski is an American baseball pitcher for the Lotte Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization. Sadowski attended the University of Florida, where he pitched for the school's baseball team...

 in the pitching rotation. Martinez went on to win the game, lasting 5 innings, allowing 3 runs, with no walks and 4 strikeouts.

On August 28, 2009, Martinez was optioned down to Triple-A Fresno after giving up 8 runs in an 11-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...

.

Martinez attended spring training with the Giants in 2010, but he was optioned to Fresno on March 23. Due to an injury to Todd Wellemeyer, Martinez started for the Giants against the Orioles on June 15, 2010; he took a loss. Scheduled to pitch against the Red Sox a week later, the Giants decided to go with Madison Bumgarner, ending Martinez's season with the Giants. On July 31, 2010, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 with John Bowker
John Bowker (baseball)
John Brite Bowker is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies...

 for Javier López
Javier López
Javier Alfonso López is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants. López previously played for the Colorado Rockies , Arizona Diamondbacks , Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates . He is a left-handed specialist known for his sidearm delivery...

.

On January 4, 2011, he was traded by the Pirates to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

 for cash considerations. Martinez was outrighted to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....

 on February 18, 2011, to make room on the 40-man roster for Orlando Cabrera
Orlando Cabrera
Orlando Luis Cabrera, nicknamed "O-Cab" and "The OC", is a Colombian-American baseball infielder.He won a World Series championship in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox. He has played for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins,...

.

External links

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