John Albert "Buck" Martinez (born November 7, 1948 in Redding, California) is a former catcher, manager and is currently a play-by-play commentator in Major League Baseball. He also managed the American national team at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. Major league affiliations American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present) Other nicknames The Jays Ballpark Rogers Centre (1989–present) a. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 2001 throughout the world. ... This year in baseball: 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 Events January-March January 8 - Ozzie Smith is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Location Redding in Shasta County, California Coordinates: , Country State County Settled 1873 Incorporated October 4, 1887 Government  - Mayor Dick Dickerson  - City Council Rick Bosetti Ken Murray Patrick H. Jones  - City Manager Kurt Startman Area  - City 154. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The position of the catcher Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in cricket. ... New York Yankees manager Joe Torre returning to the dugout (September 2005). ... MLB and Major Leagues redirect here. ... USA Baseball was founded in 1978 and is the governing body for amateur baseball in the United States of America. ... The World Baseball Classic, sometimes abbreviated WBC, is an international baseball tournament, first held in March 2006. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Martinez attended Elk Grove High School, Sacramento City College, Sacramento State University and Southwestern Missouri State University. Sacramento City College (SCC) is a two-year community college located in Sacramento, California, USA (). SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had enrollment of 21,729 for the Fall 2004 semester. ... California State University, Sacramento, better known as Sacramento State, Sac State, or CSUS, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. ...

Playing career

Martinez made his major league debut in 1969, playing 72 games with the Kansas City Royals. Over the next few years, however, he developed the reputation of being an offensive liability, and he never appeared in more than 95 games during his time with Kansas City (through 1977). The following are the baseball events of the year 1969 throughout the world. ... Major league affiliations American League (1969–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 5, 10, 20, 42 Name Kansas City Royals (1969–present) Other nicknames The Boys in Blue Ballpark Kauffman Stadium (1973–present) a. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1977 throughout the world. ...

Martinez was traded twice over the next few years, first to the Milwaukee Brewers in late 1977 and then to the Toronto Blue Jays in early 1980 after being designated for assignment. Martinez is most remembered for his time in Toronto, where he twice hit 10 home runs (in 1982 and 1983) and was regarded as a solid defensive catcher. Major league affiliations National League (1998–present) Central Division (1998–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 4, 19, 34, 42, 44 Name Milwaukee Brewers (1970–present) Seattle Pilots (1969) Other nicknames True Blue Brew Crew, The Brew Crew, The Crew, Beermakers Ballpark Miller Park (2001–present) County Stadium (1970–2000) Sick... Major league affiliations American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present) Other nicknames The Jays Ballpark Rogers Centre (1989–present) a. ... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 9 - Al Kaline and Duke Snider are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. ... Mark McGwire swinging for the fences. ... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 13 - Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson become the 12th and 13th players elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in their first year of eligibility. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1983 throughout the world. ...

Martinez's career took a bad turn when he severely dislocated his ankle and broke his leg in a home plate collision with the Seattle Mariners' Phil Bradley at the Kingdome on July 9, 1985. After the collision, he still managed to throw the ball to third base in an attempt to catch the advancing runner, his former teammate Gorman Thomas. When the throw went into left field, Thomas tried to come home. However, he was tagged out by a sprawled-out Martinez, who had managed to catch the return throw from George Bell on the ground, thus completing what is perhaps the only 9-2-7-2 double play in Major League history. Major league affiliations American League (1977–present) West Division (1977–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Seattle Mariners (1977–present) Other nicknames The Ms Ballpark Safeco Field (1999–present) King County Domed Stadium (Kingdome) (1977-1999) Major league titles World Series titles (0) none AL Pennants (0) None... Phil Bradley (born October 2, 1963 Goshen, OH - ) is an instructor of Wing Chun kung fu under Dai-Sifu Don Grose of the International Ving Tsun Kung Fu Federation. ... The Kingdome, officially known as the King County Domed Stadium, and often referred to as simply The Dome, was owned and operated by King County, Washington. ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 7 - Outfielder Lou Brock and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. ... James Gorman Thomas III (born December 12, 1950 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a former Major League Baseball center fielder and right-handed slugger who played in the American League with the Milwaukee Brewers (1973-76, 1978-83, 1986), Cleveland Indians (1983) and Seattle Mariners (1984-86). ... George Antonio Bell Mathey (born October 21, 1959, San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball. ...

Martinez attempted a comeback in 1986 but retired after hitting .181 in 81 games. This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 8 - Willie McCovey is the only player elected this year to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, and becomes the 16th player elected in his first year of eligibility. ...

Broadcasting

In 1987, Martinez began his career as a radio color analyst for Toronto Blue Jays games. Eventually, this led to a job with TSN in which he was first paired with Fergie Olver; when Olver was replaced by Jim Hughson in 1990, Martinez remained the color analyst. The pair of Hughson and Martinez also worked together on a number of ESPN telecasts, as well as on EA Sports Triple Play Baseball. Hughson left TSN in 1994, and was replaced by Dan Shulman. Like Hughson, Shulman also frequently moonlighted on ESPN. Eventually, Shulman joined ESPN full-time, whereas Martinez pursued a managing career. See also: 1986 in sports, other events of 1987, 1988 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Bill Elliott won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Dale Earnhardt CART Racing - Bobby Rahal won the season championship Indianapolis 500 - Al Unser, Sr. ... The Sports Network (commonly known as TSN) is a Canadian cable television specialty channel and is Canadas leading English language sports television channel. ... Jim Hughson (born 1956 in Fort St. ... ESPN/ESPN-DT, formerly an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an [[United States|Amer<nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here--68. ... current EA Sports logo EA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on sports. ... // February 20 — In Boston, Massachusetts, Irelands 41-year-old Eamonn Coghlan becomes the first man over the age of forty to run a sub-four minute mile when he clocked 3min. ... Dan Shulman (born 1967 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian-born sportscaster with ESPN, serving as the networks voice for baseball games on television and radio. ...

Since 2003 he has been a color commentator for Baltimore Orioles television broadcasts, alongside play-by-play announcers Jim Hunter and Gary Thorne. In 2005, Martinez was named a co-host of XM Radio's Baseball This Morning show on MLB Home Plate radio. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 4, 5, 8, 20, 22, 33, 42 Name Baltimore Orioles (1954–present) St. ... Jim Hunter is a sports announcer, currently with the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. ... Gary Thorne (born June 9, 1948 in Maine) is a play-by-play announcer for ESPN and ABC, working Major League Baseball, College Football and Frozen Four hockey contests. ... XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR) is a satellite radio service in the United States based in Washington, DC and controlled by News Corporations DirecTV, General Motors, American Honda, Hughes Electronics, and several private investment groups. ... MLB Home Plate is a popular destination on the XM Satellite Radio dial for fans of Major League Baseball, as it features round the clock MLB related talk shows, as well as archives and live reports. ...

Managerial career

In 2000, Martinez was hired as Toronto's manager after Jim Fregosi's contract was not renewed. Martinez' energetic attitude was seen as the right fit for the Jays' young roster and through the first two months of the season Toronto outperformed expectations. The success, however, was shortlived as the team struggled through the remainder of the season and they finished a mediocre 80-82. He was fired 53 games into the 2002 season after posting a 20-33 record. Ironically, at the time he was fired the Blue Jays were on a three-game winning streak, having just swept the Detroit Tigers. He was then replaced by Carlos Tosca. Martinez was selected as the field manager for Team USA in the 2006 inaugural World Baseball Classic. He led the team of superstar American players to the second round. See also: 1999 in sports, other events of 2000, 2001 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Bobby Labonte Indy Racing League - Buddy Lazier won the season championship Indianapolis 500- Juan Pablo Montoya CART Racing... James Louis Fregosi (born April 4, 1942 in San Francisco, California) is a former shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball who played for four teams, primarily the Los Angeles & California Angels. ... See also: 2001 in sports, 2003 in sports and the list of years in sports. Auto Racing Stock car racing: Ward Burton wins the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Tony Stewart Indy Racing League - Sam Hornish Jr. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1998–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 5, 6, 16, 23, 42 Name Detroit Tigers (1901–present) Other nicknames The Bless You Boys Ballpark Comerica Park (2000–present) Tiger Stadium (1912-1999) Briggs Stadium (1938-1960) Navin Field (1912-1938) Bennett... // For an extensive coverage see 2006 in athletics (track and field) May 12 — Justin Gatlin equals the 100m world record. ... The World Baseball Classic, sometimes abbreviated WBC, is an international baseball tournament, first held in March 2006. ...

Managerial record

Major league affiliations American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present) Other nicknames The Jays Ballpark Rogers Centre (1989–present) a. ... Major league affiliations American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present) Other nicknames The Jays Ballpark Rogers Centre (1989–present) a. ... The 2006 World Baseball Classic was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. ...

Trivia

• Martinez wore number 13 as both a player and a manager in the Major Leagues. He wore number 31 while managing in the WBC, as Alex Rodriguez wore number 13.
• He has been featured as a commentator with Jim Hughson in the Electronic Arts Triple Play video game series. He's also featured as a commentator with Sean McDonough for Triple Play Baseball during the ballgame for Playstation 2.

Alexander Emmanuel Alex Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975, in New York, New York), commonly nicknamed A-Rod, is a Dominican-American baseball infielder. ... Jim Hughson (born 1956 in Fort St. ... Electronic Arts (EA) (NASDAQ: ERTS) is an American developer, marketer, publisher, and distributor of computer and video games. ... Sean McDonough (born May 13, 1962) is an American television sportscaster. ... “PS2” redirects here. ...

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Baseball Library: Buck Martinez