The Oakland A’s beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 in the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday, giving the A’s a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Martinez, 25, was one of two prospects acquired by the Athletics from the Padres as part of the Sean Manaea trade earlier this spring.
After making it all the way to Triple-A last year, he was barely ranked in the Padres’ top 20 prospects this spring. Mark Kotsay didn’t get a chance to see him play before the season started because of the April 3 trade that sent him to Oakland.
His debut was a success. Martnez threw a fastball with tailing motion that averaged 94 mph and reached 96 mph. He threw a sinking changeup and a slider.
He faced a total of 21 hitters and allowed four singles. On 79 pitches, Martnez threw 55 strikes and did not walk a batter.
Infielder Sheldon Neuse described the incident as “come up and shove.” When he threw to contact, “it was easy to play defense behind him, remaining involved, active the whole time.”
There were no signs of nervousness. Before each pitch, Martnez gently moved back and forth on the mound in time with the music.
After getting Javier Báez to fly out to close the first inning, he hopped toward the A’s dugout. To close the at-bat, Báez swung and missed on a slider.
He swung and missed at two more pitches on his second appearance against Martnez before striking out on a changeup for a third time.
Martnez’s signature pitch is the changeup. As many as seven batters took swings and five were thrown into play at an average of 82.9mph.
His other offerings didn’t go much better for the Tigers. Only five of Detroit’s 17 balls in play had exit velocities over 95 mph, which are considered hard-hit by Statcast.
Six of Martnez’s outs came on ground balls, while the other four came on pop-ups.
A “very electrifying sinker, good velocity behind it, seemed to be getting on some of the batters,” Kotsay noted.
We call this pitch the “screwball,” and I believe it’s one of the most effective out pitches in the game.” That two-pitch combination with the slider he was using seemed to keep these guys off-balance. ”
The A’s have employed 18 rookies in their first 30 games, with Martnez being the eighth to see action in the majors. One out in the sixth inning, Kotsay walked over to Martnez and spoke with him for a few seconds before returning to the bench.
Does Adrian Martinez Have Any Kids?
Adrian Martinez does not have any kids.