We suspected it, but it’s now official: Russell Martin will not return to the baseball fields.
Posted at 6:38 p.m.
The Quebecer confirmed it for the first time, Wednesday evening, during his visit to the podcast The Blue Pocket hosted by Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre.
“I haven’t even made an announcement yet. I imagine that the world suspects that I no longer play, I’ve been doing nothing for three years, ”he laughed.
“I will make a real announcement in the next few days, I will announce it on social networks. But you have the scoop. It is sure that I will not return to the game at 39 years old. »
The pandemic had its part to play in his decision, he said, when he “didn’t even feel like playing” without supporters in the stands.
I have two young children at home, two little girls, and there is a third coming in August. The transition was easier because of that. If it hadn’t been for COVID, surely it would have been more difficult and maybe I would still be playing.
Russell Martin
The career
Russell Martin is 14 seasons and 1693 games in MLB. That’s 191 home runs, 1,416 hits, 771 RBI and a .248 batting average. He is one of, if not the best Quebecer in the history of baseball.
The Quebecer born in Toronto, but moved to Montreal at the age of 2, is a choice of 17e round of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002. He spent eight years there before tearing the labrum in his right hip and signing a contract with the New York Yankees. There, he wants to relaunch his career after two more difficult seasons.
In New York, Martin took part in the playoffs two years in a row. In 2012, when the Yankees did not submit any concrete offer to him, he made the decision to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates for 2 years and 17 million. He then found himself on a team which, at that time, had not played for .500 in twenty years.
These two seasons in Pittsburgh ultimately prove decisive for Martin, who becomes somewhat the leader of this team, which has two seasons of 94 and 88 victories.
In 2015, at age 31, Martin signed a historic 5-year, $82 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, making him the highest-paid Quebec athlete in professional sports. He spent four seasons with the Canadian team before returning to where it all began, in Los Angeles, with the Dodgers, in 2019.
Over the years, Martin has been named an American League All-Star twice, in 2011 and 2015. He was Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and Pirates’ Best Defensive Player in 2013. .
In the summer of 2020, the first of the pandemic, Martin launched a sparkling alcoholic drink named Cruise which is now sold at SAQ.