Ted Martinez
From The Met Wiki
Teodoro Noel “Ted” Martinez was an infielder and outfielder for the Mets from 1970 to 1974. He played in 353 games with the team. Martinez had 251 hits and 104 runs scored as a Met.
Martinez played his first major league game on July 18, 1970. He went hitless in four at bats in the Mets’ 4-3 win at Los Angeles. Ted got his first major league hit (a single) the next day off the Giants’ Skip Pitlock in San Francisco.
In 1971, Ted had a .288 batting average in 38 games played. He had six stolen bases and was hit by a pitch three times to lead the team. At Shea Stadium on July 5, Martinez had a single and two runs scored in the Mets’ 8-0 win over the Expos in the second game of a doubleheader. He singled three times and scored twice in a 7-6 Mets victory over the Astros on July 25 at Shea. Ted had two singles, a double and two runs scored in the Mets’ 9-2 win over the Dodgers in the first game of a twinbill at Shea on August 28. He singled, doubled twice and drove in two runs in a 6-3 Mets triumph over the Expos on September 14 at Shea. At Pittsburgh on September 17, Martinez led off the first inning with his first major league home run to propel the Mets to a 3-0 victory over the Pirates.
Martinez played in 103 games in 1972. He had 74 hits (including a team-leading five triples) during the year. Ted had an RBI triple and two runs scored in the Mets’ 8-5 win at San Francisco on May 3. He singled home the winning run in the 14th inning for a 4-3 Mets victory over the Dodgers on May 10 at Shea. In a doubleheader against the Padres at Shea on July 4, Martinez had three singles in the Mets’ 2-0 win in the opener and two singles in a 4-2 Mets loss in the nightcap. He singled twice, doubled and drove in two runs in a 7-2 Mets victory over the Cubs in the second game of a Labor Day doubleheader on September 4 at Shea. In a four-game stretch from September 20 to September 24, Ted had eight hits (all singles) in 15 at bats. He also hit a three-run homer in the Mets’ 7-3 win at Pittsburgh on October 1.
In 1973, Martinez hit .255 and had 14 RBIs. He drove in 14 runs and had 81 total bases in the Mets’ pennant-winning season. At Shea on April 7, Ted scored the winning run in the ninth inning for a 3-2 Mets triumph over the Phillies. He had two singles and three runs scored in the Mets’ 13-3 win over the Expos in the second game of a twinbill on April 22 at Shea. Martinez had three singles and a double in a 7-6 Mets win over the Phillies in a doubleheader opener at Shea on June 27. He singled three times and scored twice in the Mets’ 7-1 victory at San Francisco on August 10. Ted collected three singles (two in one inning) in a 12-1 Mets win over the Reds on August 18 at Shea. He also drove in four runs with a single, a double and his only home run of the year in a 5-0 Mets triumph over the Phillies in the first game of a Labor Day doubleheader at Shea on September 3.
Ted led the Mets with 7 triples in 1974. He had 32 runs scored and a career-high 43 RBIs for the season. Martinez had a two-run triple in the Mets’ 10-5 win over the Cubs at Shea on May 21. He had a single, a double, a triple and four RBIs in a 6-0 Mets win over the Giants on July 7 at Shea. Ted drove in two runs with a pair of sacrifice flies in the Mets’ 10-2 victory at San Diego on July 20. He had three singles and three RBIs in a 4-1 Mets win over the Expos on July 28 at Shea. Martinez had a pair of singles, a double and a run scored in the Mets’ 3-0 victory over the Braves at Shea on September 1. He also tripled, singled and scored twice in a 5-2 Mets win at Philadelphia on September 30.
On December 11, 1974, Martinez was traded to the Cardinals for Jack Heidemann and Mike Vail. He played in 16 games for the Cardinals in 1975 before completing the season with the Oakland Athletics. Ted spent the 1976 season with the Reds’ AAA-level team in Indianapolis and the next three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He ended his career with the Dodgers’ AAA-team in Albuquerque in 1980.
