Quick start to career for Goldeyes southpaw pitcher Martinez

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This article was published 31/05/2022 (1250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Life has moved fast for Winnipeg Goldeyes lefthanded rookie pitcher RJ Martinez who joined the team straight out of college less than a month ago.

When the 23-year-old’s season with the Minot State University Beavers ended May 14, one of the first things his coach asked him was how soon he could get to Winnipeg. The Goldeyes were interested in the lefty with a 6-1 record and 2.31 ERA in 12 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) appearances this year and wanted to get him into action as soon as possible.

Martinez and the Beavers returned home from the NCAA’s Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament in Brandon, S.D., at 2 a.m. the next morning. It was enough time to sleep and pack up an entire apartment. A three-game home series against the Sioux Falls Canaries loomed and Goldeyes skipper Rick Forney wanted him in Winnipeg Monday night so he could start the finale May 19.

He hit the road on May 16 and hasn’t looked back since.

“I was just really excited to get going and get shown the field the next day and see everything and meet everybody,” said Martinez. “It was definitely a real fun 24-hours.”

While stretching and warming up in the club’s weight room, Martinez glanced at the clock and noticed he was behind schedule in his pre-game routine. A scramble to find a pair of baseball pants that fit ensued and he hurried to the field.

“I realized what time it was and I had to grab everything and run out there,” he said. “I was like ‘alright, well, this is it.’”

The sun emerged from the clouds over Shaw Park and schholchildren filled the stadium’s seats for an 11 a.m first pitch. It was a quick turnaround for Winnipeg after a double-header with Sioux Falls ended late the night before. The bright sun and an almost full house energized the Fish and a a better debut scenario for Martinez couldn’t have drawn up either.

There was good weather, a better crowd — of which his girlfriend was part — and a 7-1 lead as he marched onto the mound in the first inning. The lefty had an impressive debut, striking out three batters and giving up two hits over six innings of work in a 10-1 Winnipeg win.

“When it comes to… being on the mound I try to block everything out, whether that’s travel or whether something’s feeling off,” said Martinez. “Whatever the case is, I try to just go out there with the main goal and focus of trying to help my team win as much as possible and having the group of guys we have, it’s pretty easy to do that.”

Martinez impressed again when he returned to the mound May 24, throwing seven shutout innings and striking out five batters on 99 pitches, leading the Fish to a 3-1 road win over Sioux Falls.

As the team’s 10-game road trip progressed, the near-perfect start to Martinez’s career reached its first roadblock. Martinez gave up five earned runs on six hits in three-and-two-third innings of work.

“In the moment it is a little frustrating,” he said. “But once I got in the dugout and talked with Josh (Lucas), he told me days like this are gonna happen and we’re gonna have 80, 90, whatever it is more games and I’m gonna have more starts.”

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“I realized that he’s right. I can dwell on it… for the moment and then I just need to forget about it,” he added.

The Goldeyes return to Shaw Park on Wednesday for a double-header with the Cleburne Railroaders, the team’s first home games since Martinez’s debut. He’s looking forward to exploring the city during the homestand and building on the impressive start to his career.

“I’m just trying to take it a day at a time because this game will speed up on you if you let it,” said Martinez. “I’m just really blessed with the opportunity Winnipeg gave me and I just want to go out there every five days and compete as much as I can.”

gavin.axelrod@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: Gavin77axe