Orioles Hall of Famer Dennis Martínez returned to Baltimore to throw out the first pitch before the club’s June 10 game against the Royals.
Martínez, known as “El Presidente,” pitched for the Orioles from 1976-1986. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound right-hander made 319 appearances (243 starts) during that time, going 108-93 with a 4.16 ERA. He led the majors in wins in 1981 with 14.
“I was kind of shocked in a way that people still remember our time and my name and who I was,” Martínez said on Glenn Clark Radio June 13. “I never expected anything like it, but it was emotional from my point of view, and I really appreciate the fans, the recognition and the welcome they gave me.”
The Orioles defeated the Royals, 6-1, on June 10 to clinch their 14th series win of the season. Baltimore sits in second place in the AL East behind Tampa Bay.
“I see that hunger, that desire to win, to prove who they are,” Martínez said. “… [The fans] see the passion. They see the desire for those kids that they want to win. And I was really impressed for our good players that we have. So I think we have a pretty good chance for this year.”
Martínez, 68, was a member of the 1983 Orioles team that defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, four games to one. It was not Martínez’s strongest year with the Orioles, as the right-hander went 7-16 with a 5.53 ERA and did not make an appearance in the World Series.
Martínez has since opened up about his struggle with alcoholism at that point in his life.
“I was getting into the drinking problem that I had and that was my worst year in baseball,” Martínez said. “It was not physically, because I was healthy but it was mentally, that was the big part. The mental part is the most important thing. My drinking started getting worse.”
Martínez recalled that the World Series celebration opened his eyes to his drinking problem. That celebration would be the last time that he drank alcohol. Martínez checked into rehab the day before Christmas in 1983, and he has been sober for the past 40 years.
“I’m really grateful for that,” he said. “And I really cherish that ring for the rest of my life, because it means that to me. The World Series championship that year, man, that was life-changing.”
Martínez only spent two more seasons in Baltimore before being traded midseason in 1986 to the Montreal Expos. He spent the next seven seasons with the Expos.
Martínez rejuvenated his career with Montreal, earning three consecutive All-Star nods from 1990-1992. In 1991, the right-hander claimed the ERA title with a big-league-best 2.39 ERA. That year, Martínez pitched one of 23 perfect games in MLB history on July 28 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Martínez closed out his career with Cleveland (1994-1996), Seattle (1997) and Atlanta (1998). He went to his fourth and final All-Star Game in 1995.
Martínez has the 10th-most wins (108) and strikeouts (858) in Orioles history. Martínez also has the third-most wins (100) and the fifth-best ERA among qualifiers (3.06) in Expos/Nationals history.
He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.
“I would love to spend more time involved in the organization, specifically the community,” Martínez said. “We would love to be part of that. There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s the tradition you’ve got to bring to the people.”
For more from Martinez, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles