Russell Martin joins rare company with Game 3 ALDS home run
TORONTO– When the Toronto Blue Jays signed Russell Martin as a free agent ahead of the 2015 season, they were well aware of his postseason pedigree. They believed a player with his history, as well as his reputation as one of the best catchers in baseball, was vital in putting them over the top.
The Blue Jays have made the playoffs in Martin’s first two seasons with the team, and if anyone needed another reminder of Martin’s considerable experience in October – he’s been there nine times over 11 seasons with four teams, if you were wondering – he provided one in Game 3 of the ALDS on Sunday night.
Martin’s first-inning home run off Texas Rangers starter Colby Lewis made him the fourth player in major-league history to hit a playoff home run for four different teams. Ron Gant, John Olerud and Reggie Sanders are the other three, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
What Martin hasn’t been able to do yet, whether he was playing for the Dodgers, Yankees, Pirates or Blue Jays, is play for a team that captured a World Series title. Toronto is up 2-0 on Texas in the ALDS, meaning they need one more win in the series to move closer to that championship goal by advancing to the ALCS and in the process allowing Martin to continue adding to his already sterling postseason resume.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him atisraelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
