Dennis Martinez
Born: 5/14/1954 in Granada, Granada, Nicaragua
MLB Debut: 1976-09-14 | Final Game: 1998-09-27
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 160 lbs
Full name: Jose Dennis Martinez
Biography
Dennis Martinez, born in 1954, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1976 until his retirement in 1998. Known for his exceptional command and ability to pitch deep into games, Martinez finished his career with a record of 245 wins and 193 losses, complemented by an earned run average (ERA) of 3.7. He amassed a total of 2,149 strikeouts and recorded 8 saves, showcasing his versatility as both a starter and a relief option. His skill on the mound earned him four selections to the All-Star Game, highlighting his status as one of the top pitchers of his era.
Playing during a time when the game was evolving, Martinez's career coincided with the rise of offensive power in baseball, yet he consistently demonstrated the ability to control games with his pitching prowess. He was a key figure in various teams, including the Montreal Expos and the Baltimore Orioles, and became known for his competitive spirit and work ethic. Martinez's contributions to the game extended beyond statistics; he served as a mentor to younger players and played a significant role in popularizing baseball in his native Nicaragua. His legacy continues to resonate, as he remains a respected figure in the history of the sport.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 245 | 193 | 692 | 562 | 122 | 30 | 8 | 3999.7 | 3897 | 1643 | 372 | 1165 | 2149 | 3.70 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | BAL | AL | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27.7 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 2.60 | 588.1 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 14 | 7 | 42 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 166.7 | 157 | 76 | 64 | 107 | 4.10 | 2018.9 |
| 1978 | BAL | AL | 16 | 11 | 40 | 38 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 276.3 | 257 | 108 | 93 | 142 | 3.52 | 1071.5 |
| 1979 | BAL | AL | 15 | 16 | 40 | 39 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 292.3 | 279 | 119 | 78 | 132 | 3.66 | 907.0 |
| 1980 | BAL | AL | 6 | 4 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 99.7 | 103 | 44 | 44 | 42 | 3.97 | -2587.4 |
| 1981 | BAL | AL | 14 | 5 | 25 | 24 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 179.0 | 173 | 66 | 62 | 88 | 3.32 | 777.7 |
| 1982 | BAL | AL | 16 | 12 | 40 | 39 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 252.0 | 262 | 118 | 87 | 111 | 4.21 | -4236.8 |
| 1983 | BAL | AL | 7 | 16 | 32 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 153.0 | 209 | 94 | 45 | 71 | 5.53 | -2605.8 |
| 1984 | BAL | AL | 6 | 9 | 34 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 141.7 | 145 | 79 | 37 | 77 | 5.02 | -4175.0 |
| 1985 | BAL | AL | 13 | 11 | 33 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 180.0 | 203 | 103 | 63 | 68 | 5.15 | -6205.4 |
| 1986 | BAL | AL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6.75 | 0.0 |
| 1986 | WSN | NL | 3 | 6 | 19 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 98.0 | 103 | 50 | 28 | 63 | 4.59 | - |
| 1987 | WSN | NL | 11 | 4 | 22 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 144.7 | 133 | 53 | 40 | 84 | 3.30 | - |
| 1988 | WSN | NL | 15 | 13 | 34 | 34 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 235.3 | 215 | 71 | 55 | 120 | 2.72 | - |
| 1989 | WSN | NL | 16 | 7 | 34 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 232.0 | 227 | 82 | 49 | 142 | 3.18 | - |
| 1990 | WSN | NL | 10 | 11 | 32 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 226.0 | 191 | 74 | 49 | 156 | 2.95 | - |
| 1991 | WSN | NL | 14 | 11 | 31 | 31 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 222.0 | 187 | 59 | 62 | 123 | 2.39 | - |
| 1992 | WSN | NL | 16 | 11 | 32 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 226.3 | 172 | 62 | 60 | 147 | 2.47 | - |
| 1993 | WSN | NL | 15 | 9 | 35 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 224.7 | 211 | 96 | 64 | 138 | 3.85 | - |
| 1994 | CLE | AL | 11 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 176.7 | 166 | 69 | 44 | 92 | 3.52 | 2407.2 |
| 1995 | CLE | AL | 12 | 5 | 28 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 187.0 | 174 | 64 | 46 | 99 | 3.08 | 1428.9 |
| 1996 | CLE | AL | 9 | 6 | 20 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 112.0 | 122 | 56 | 37 | 48 | 4.50 | -403.9 |
| 1997 | SEA | AL | 1 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49.0 | 65 | 42 | 29 | 17 | 7.71 | -2910.8 |
| 1998 | ATL | NL | 4 | 6 | 53 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 91.0 | 109 | 45 | 19 | 62 | 4.45 | 1824.0 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 695 | 520 | 25 | 74 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 15 | 168 | 0.142 | 0.169 | 0.165 | 0.334 | -3622.5 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | BAL | AL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1978 | BAL | AL | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1979 | BAL | AL | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1980 | BAL | AL | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1981 | BAL | AL | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1982 | BAL | AL | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1983 | BAL | AL | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1984 | BAL | AL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1985 | BAL | AL | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1986 | BAL | AL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1986 | WSN | NL | 19 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0.100 | 0.0 |
| 1987 | WSN | NL | 22 | 46 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 0.065 | 0.0 |
| 1988 | WSN | NL | 34 | 78 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 0.192 | -484.5 |
| 1989 | WSN | NL | 34 | 72 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 0.125 | -646.5 |
| 1990 | WSN | NL | 32 | 68 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 0.103 | -736.0 |
| 1991 | WSN | NL | 32 | 72 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 0.153 | -576.9 |
| 1992 | WSN | NL | 32 | 74 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0.189 | -553.7 |
| 1993 | WSN | NL | 36 | 69 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0.159 | -625.0 |
| 1994 | CLE | AL | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1995 | CLE | AL | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1996 | CLE | AL | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1997 | SEA | AL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1998 | ATL | NL | 53 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.091 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | NLCS | ATL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1995 | ALDS1 | CLE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1995 | ALCS | CLE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1995 | WS | CLE | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1979 | WS | BAL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1979 | ALCS | BAL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 43.3 | 42 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 3.32 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | NLCS | ATL | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1995 | ALCS | CLE | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13.3 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2.02 |
| 1995 | ALDS1 | CLE | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3.00 |
| 1995 | WS | CLE | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10.3 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 3.48 |
| 1979 | ALCS | BAL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8.3 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3.24 |
| 1979 | WS | BAL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18.00 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 692 | 562 | 319 | 763 | 42 | 61 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | BAL | P | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | BAL | P | 42 | 13 | 9 | 26 | 1 | 2 |
| 1978 | BAL | P | 40 | 38 | 27 | 51 | 1 | 6 |
| 1979 | BAL | P | 40 | 39 | 26 | 59 | 5 | 3 |
| 1980 | BAL | P | 25 | 12 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981 | BAL | P | 25 | 24 | 20 | 44 | 2 | 4 |
| 1982 | BAL | P | 40 | 39 | 13 | 38 | 1 | 2 |
| 1983 | BAL | P | 32 | 25 | 16 | 42 | 1 | 8 |
| 1984 | BAL | P | 34 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 2 | 4 |
| 1985 | BAL | P | 33 | 31 | 17 | 26 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | BAL | P | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | MON | P | 19 | 15 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | MON | P | 22 | 22 | 10 | 23 | 1 | 3 |
| 1988 | MON | P | 34 | 34 | 19 | 39 | 6 | 3 |
| 1989 | MON | P | 34 | 33 | 11 | 50 | 2 | 6 |
| 1990 | MON | P | 32 | 32 | 16 | 35 | 1 | 2 |
| 1991 | MON | P | 31 | 31 | 21 | 48 | 4 | 5 |
| 1992 | MON | P | 32 | 32 | 20 | 45 | 4 | 3 |
| 1993 | MON | P | 35 | 34 | 17 | 46 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994 | CLE | P | 24 | 24 | 11 | 33 | 0 | 2 |
| 1995 | CLE | P | 28 | 28 | 15 | 46 | 4 | 3 |
| 1996 | CLE | P | 20 | 20 | 10 | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| 1997 | SEA | P | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 1998 | ATL | P | 53 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 692 |
| Designated Hitter | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Pitcher of the Month | August |
| 1991 | Pitcher of the Month | July |
| 1991 | Player of the Week | Week of 1991-07-27 |
| 1991 | Player of the Week | Week of 1991-06-15 |
| 1981 | Pitcher of the Month | September |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | ATL | NL | $550,000 |
| 1996 | CLE | AL | $3,816,766 |
| 1995 | CLE | AL | $4,550,000 |
| 1994 | CLE | AL | $4,500,000 |
| 1993 | MON | NL | $2,833,333 |
| 1992 | MON | NL | $3,348,333 |
| 1991 | MON | NL | $3,333,333 |
| 1990 | MON | NL | $1,400,000 |
| 1989 | MON | NL | $735,000 |
| 1988 | MON | NL | $735,000 |
| 1987 | MON | NL | $162,500 |
| 1986 | BAL | AL | $560,458 |
| 1985 | BAL | AL | $560,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $27,084,723 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Cy Young Award | NL | 5th | 4.0 | 120 | 0 |
| 1981 | Cy Young Award | AL | 5th | 3.0 | 140 | 0 |
| 1981 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 23th | 3.0 | 392 | 0 |