The New York Yankees traded for Tino Martinez on his 28th birthday to replace the only first baseman most of their fans had known for a decade. Steinbrenner then immediately handed him a five-year, $20.25 million contract. The guy who was coming for Mattingly's job -- at the Stadium, in front of those fans -- had about zero margin for error from day one.
He won four World Series rings anyway.
| Yankees Seasons | 1996-2001, 2005 |
| AVG / OBP / SLG | .276 / .347 / .484 |
| Home Runs (NYY) | 192 |
| Career HR | 339 |
| Career RBI | 1,271 |
| World Series Rings | 4 (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000) |
| All-Star Selections | 2 (1995, 1997) |
| Silver Slugger | 1997 |
The D-II First Baseman Who Shouldn't Have Been a First-Round Pick
Tino grew up in West Tampa in a Cuban-American family -- his grandfather ran a small cigar factory, where young Tino worked alongside his neighborhood friends after school. One of those friends was a kid named Luis Gonzalez. (We'll come back to that.)
He went to the University of Tampa, which is a Division II school. That almost never produces first-round picks. Martinez was the exception: the Seattle Mariners took him 14th overall in the 1988 draft, and he left Tampa holding school records in career home runs (54), career batting average (.398), and single-season slugging (.957) that still stand. He made his MLB debut with Seattle in 1990, spent five seasons developing into a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat, and in 1995 hit .293 with 31 home runs and 111 RBI.
The Mariners traded him anyway. Technically, they sent him to New York for Sterling Hitchcock and Russ Davis. On his birthday.
1996: Replacing a Legend and Getting Benched in the World Series
There's no clean way to step into Donnie Baseball's shoes. Mattingly had given the Yankees a decade of elite first base play and only ever got one shot at the postseason -- the 1995 ALDS, which was the series that ended Martinez's time in Seattle. The expectations at first base in the Bronx weren't subtle.
Martinez's first Yankees season wasn't bad at all: .292, 25 home runs, 117 RBI. He was a legitimate middle-of-the-order presence on a 92-win team. Then the postseason arrived, and it went sideways fast. He went 5-for-33 in the ALCS and first two World Series games combined, and Joe Torre made the call to start Cecil Fielder at first base for Games 3 through 6 in Atlanta. (NL park, no DH -- Fielder couldn't play anywhere else.) Torre benching a guy who'd just driven in 117 runs took some stones.
Tino handled it right. He sat on the bench, cheered his teammates, and watched the Yankees win the World Series -- their first title since 1978. He said later it was one of the hardest moments of his career. But that's the thing about the guy: he got it right even when it cost him.
1997: The Best First Baseman in the American League
The 1997 season was the one that answered every question. Martinez hit .296 with 44 home runs and 141 RBI, finished second in AL MVP voting (lost to a unanimously-voted Ken Griffey Jr. who hit 56 freaking home runs, which, fine), and won the Silver Slugger at first base. He also won the Home Run Derby at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, beating Larry Walker 3-1 in the finals.
David Cone called him "the true 4-hole hitter, the key power guy" of those dynasties. Torre said Tino "didn't think he helped the ballclub as much as he did." That tracks. He was quietly the best first baseman in the American League for several years running and never quite got the credit that Jeter or Mo absorbed.
1998: The Grand Slam
The 1998 World Series, Game 1, seventh inning. The Yankees were trailing the San Diego Padres 5-2 when Chuck Knoblauch hit a three-run homer off Donne Wall to tie it 5-5. Then Mark Langston came on in relief, the Yankees loaded the bases, and Martinez worked the count full, took a close pitch that the ump called ball four instead of strike three (Padres fans still have thoughts about this), and hit the very next pitch into the upper deck -- a grand slam that flipped the game to 9-5. The Yankees swept the Series. They went 125-50 combined that season.
One of the rare players in World Series history to hit a grand slam. In his favorite rivalry of his career.
2001: The Last Good Moment Before Giambi
By October 2001, the Yankees knew they were replacing Martinez with Jason Giambi in the offseason. Giambi's deal -- seven years, $120 million -- was basically done. The dynasty was ending one way or another, and Tino was going to age out of it.
Then Game 4 of the World Series. October 31, 2001. Yankees down two runs, two outs, bottom of the ninth, Jeter on deck. Byung-Hyun Kim on the mound. Tino Martinez stepped in and hit the first pitch he saw over the right-center wall. Two runs, game tied, 3-3.
Jeter won it in the tenth inning on a walk-off home run to right field. He became Mr. November. Martinez hit the home run that made it possible, and he called it his favorite personal moment in baseball. (O'Neill said, "He was just so due, and he wanted it so bad." Yeah.)
The Yankees won Games 4 and 5 that way, then lost the Series in seven games. The final out was a Luis Gonzalez bloop single off Mo.
The childhood friend from the cigar factory in West Tampa. The kid who worked alongside Tino after school.
Baseball isn't always clean about these things.
After the Bronx
The Cardinals signed him after the Yankees went with Giambi, and then Albert Pujols moved from left field to first base, so the Cardinals moved on from Tino too. (Getting pushed aside by Albert Pujols isn't a knock on anyone.) He spent 2004 in Tampa Bay, hit .262 with 23 home runs, and then came back to the Yankees for one final season in 2005 -- .240, 17 home runs, 131 games. He retired after that.
On June 21, 2014, the Yankees gave him a plaque in Monument Park. Torre was there. So were O'Neill, Cone, Posada, Rivera, and Jeter. The whole group came out for the guy who'd been the quiet center of four championship lineups.
He was the wrong guy in the impossible spot, and he was exactly right for it.
Born in Tampa, Florida
Constantino "Tino" Martinez born in West Tampa to a Cuban-American family.
Drafted 14th Overall by Seattle
Seattle Mariners take Martinez in the first round out of Division II University of Tampa -- one of the rarest draft slots for a D-II player.
Traded to Yankees on His Birthday
The Mariners send Martinez to New York for Sterling Hitchcock and Russ Davis. He signs a five-year, $20.25 million extension the same day. He turns 28.
First World Series Ring -- From the Bench
Benched for Cecil Fielder in Games 3-6 in Atlanta after going 5-for-33 in the ALCS and early WS games, Martinez cheers from the dugout as the Yankees win it.
Wins Home Run Derby at Jacobs Field
Beats Larry Walker 3-1 in the finals in Cleveland. That same season: 44 HR, 141 RBI, Silver Slugger, runner-up in AL MVP voting to Griffey.
World Series Grand Slam, Game 1
Knoblauch's 3-run homer ties it 5-5, then Martinez hits a grand slam off Mark Langston to put the Yankees up 9-5. The Yankees sweep the Padres.
Two-Run Homer off Kim, Game 4
Down to the final out in the ninth, Martinez ties the game 3-3 with a two-run shot off Byung-Hyun Kim. He calls it his favorite career moment. Yankees win on Jeter's walkoff in the 10th.
Monument Park Plaque Unveiled
The Yankees honor Martinez with a plaque in Monument Park. Torre, O'Neill, Cone, Posada, Rivera, and Jeter are all in attendance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Tino Martinez's career stats?
Martinez played 16 major league seasons and hit .271 with 339 home runs and 1,271 RBI. With the Yankees (1996-2001 and 2005), he hit .276/.347/.484 with 192 home runs in 1,054 games.
What happened with Tino Martinez's 2001 World Series home run?
In Game 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Yankees were down to their final out in the ninth inning, trailing 3-1. Martinez hit the first pitch from closer Byung-Hyun Kim over the right-center wall for a two-run homer that tied the game 3-3. Derek Jeter won it in the bottom of the tenth with a walk-off home run. Martinez has called it his favorite personal moment in baseball.
What did Tino Martinez do in the 1998 World Series?
In Game 1, with the Yankees trailing 5-2, Chuck Knoblauch hit a three-run homer off Donne Wall to tie it 5-5. Then Martinez hit a grand slam off Mark Langston in the same seventh inning to put the Yankees up 9-5. The Yankees swept the San Diego Padres to win the championship. That 1998 Yankees team went 125-50 including the postseason.
Why did the Yankees let Tino Martinez go?
After the 2001 season, the Yankees signed free agent Jason Giambi to a seven-year, $120 million deal. Giambi was the bigger offensive upgrade, so the Yankees let Martinez walk. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals before returning to the Yankees for one final season in 2005.
Did Tino Martinez make the Hall of Fame?
No. Martinez appeared on the 2011 Hall of Fame ballot in his first year of eligibility but received only 1.0% of the vote (6 ballots out of 581), falling below the 5% threshold needed to remain on the ballot. His career numbers -- 339 home runs, 1,271 RBI, four World Series rings -- are impressive, but first basemen have historically faced a higher bar for Cooperstown.
Career Stats
Regular Season
| Year | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 142 | 531 | 92 | 149 | 33 | 1 | 28 | 123 | 61 | 83 | 2 | .281 | .355 | .505 | .860 |
| 1999 | 159 | 589 | 95 | 155 | 27 | 2 | 28 | 105 | 69 | 86 | 3 | .263 | .341 | .458 | .799 |
| 2000 | 155 | 569 | 69 | 147 | 37 | 4 | 16 | 91 | 52 | 74 | 4 | .258 | .328 | .422 | .750 |
| 2001 | 154 | 589 | 89 | 165 | 24 | 2 | 34 | 113 | 42 | 89 | 1 | .280 | .329 | .501 | .830 |
| 2005 | 131 | 303 | 43 | 73 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 49 | 38 | 54 | 2 | .241 | .328 | .439 | .767 |
| Career | 1054 | 3770 | 566 | 1039 | 189 | 11 | 192 | 739 | 405 | 546 | 17 | .276 | .346 | .484 | .830 |
Career-best seasons highlighted in gold. Stats via Retrosheet.
Postseason
| Year | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 15 | 48 | -- | 9 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | .188 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1997 | 5 | 18 | -- | 4 | -- | -- | 1 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | .222 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1998 | 13 | 43 | -- | 10 | -- | -- | 1 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | .233 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1999 | 12 | 45 | -- | 11 | -- | -- | 2 | 8 | -- | -- | -- | .244 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2000 | 16 | 66 | -- | 24 | -- | -- | 1 | 7 | -- | -- | -- | .364 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2001 | 16 | 59 | -- | 11 | -- | -- | 3 | 8 | -- | -- | -- | .186 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2005 | 4 | 8 | -- | 0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | .000 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 81 | 287 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .240 | .240 | .324 | .564 |