ST. PETERSBURG -- When the initial rosters for the All-Star Game came out without his name listed among the American League’s pitchers, Nick Martinez started making plans for the break and decided that he and his wife, Kimberly, would take their daughters to Disney World.
But “The Most Magical Place on Earth” will have to wait for the offseason. Martinez and his family are bound for the “City of Brotherly Love,” instead.
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The 35-year-old Martinez was named to his first career All-Star team a few hours before pitching 5 1/3 innings and earning the win in the AL-leading Rays’ homer-fueled 7-2 victory over the Mariners at Tropicana Field.
Martinez said he was “honored” and “humbled” by the announcement. His teammates were elated, believing the anchor of their rotation and nerve center of their clubhouse had been deserving all along. He said his friends and family were “absolutely stoked,” too.
“It took me long enough to make my first appearance,” he said, “so we're enjoying it.”
As for his girls? Let’s just say they took the news in stride.
“They get the iPad on planes, so they're excited about getting the iPad,” Martinez said, smiling. “The team's flying us out in a private jet, so they're gonna make my life harder now. I don't think they know what a private jet is, but they're excited about it.”
The Rays had been vouching for Martinez for weeks, stating his case to join what is now a five-player contingent bound for Philadelphia on Sunday night.
“I told him when the initial thing came out, like, 'You're going to get there. You deserve this. You've had an amazing year. You're an amazing teammate, amazing person, and good things happen to good people,’” starter Shane McClanahan said. “We're all pumped for him.”
Martinez certainly had a performance-based case to make the roster. After holding Seattle to two runs on four hits and one walk, he is 8-2 with a 2.65 ERA, fourth best in the AL and 11th best among qualified starters in the Majors.
He’s worked 105 1/3 innings over his first 18 starts, allowing three runs or fewer in 17 of them. The Rays have won 14 of his outings, including Friday night’s home run barrage from Richie Palacios, Cedric Mullins, Victor Mesa Jr. and Junior Caminero.
Martinez doesn’t have overwhelming strikeout numbers or stuff, but he pitches with precision and the kind of confidence that led McClanahan to say he “throws like he’s 10 feet tall and throws 150 [mph].”
“Nick has been an anchor for us,” McClanahan said Friday afternoon. “I'm glad that he got the recognition he deserves, man. He deserved to be voted in immediately. He shouldn't have been a replacement.”
And there’s more to this story, of course, which is why you could hear the cheers emanating from Tampa Bay’s clubhouse when manager Kevin Cash assembled the team to break the news after Thursday’s lopsided loss to the Yankees.
A spot on the AL pitching staff became available when the Red Sox placed left-hander Ranger Suarez on the 15-day injured list due to a left groin strain. Martinez thought it might go to Boston teammate Sonny Gray. Instead, it opened the door for him.
“A lot of guys, they told me afterward they were bummed I didn't get in the first time, and then they were really happy for me to get in after the fact,” Martinez said. “Very special. These guys mean a lot to me.”
And he means an indescribable amount to them.
“I like everything that he does, but I like more about the person,” said Caminero, who swatted his 28th homer. “He's a great person. I love him. I want him to stay here all my career.”
Martinez, who will turn 36 on Aug. 5, has been a beloved teammate everywhere he’s been, from the time he debuted with the Rangers in 2014 and especially since he joined the Rays as a free agent in February.
He immediately became a popular figure, dubbed “the best teammate ever” by All-Star starter Drew Rasmussen -- someone who united various corners of the clubhouse with his friendly, fun-loving attitude, ability to speak two languages and wealth of experience to draw from.
“He’s incredible. I don’t know if any one individual has come in as a free agent and impacted this clubhouse like he has,” Rasmussen said. “To have him around every day is truly a blessing.”
Cash agreed. The Rays have brought in a handful of impactful, well-respected veteran pitchers over the years, from Charlie Morton to Michael Wacha to Corey Kluber. They all made a mark on their younger peers.
But nobody has made an impact quite like Martinez.
“He's the heartbeat of this clubhouse. Big reason as to why we get along so well, just how he's fit so seamlessly into the group and how he includes everybody and makes everybody feel like they're a big, special part of this team,” starter Griffin Jax said. “When a guy like that gets rewarded the way he did, it just brings everybody together.”