Tino Martinez

About Tino Martinez

Constantino "Tino" Martinez (born December 7, 1967 in Tampa, Florida) is a retired first baseman in Major League Baseball.

Martinez was the 1st round draft pick for the Seattle Mariners in 1988 out of the University of Tampa where he starred during his time on campus. He began his Major League career in 1990 and has played for the Mariners, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and rejoined the Yankees in the 2005 season. During his career, he has scored over 900 runs, driven in 1271 runs, and hit 339 home runs. He has had 100 RBIs in six seasons and has been on the All-Star team twice.

The Seattle Mariners drafted Martinez in 1988. Martinez began his career playing under Lou Pinella who was a friend of his father. He had several mediocre seasons, but broke out in 1995 when he drove in 111 runs, hit 31 home runs and batted .293. The Mariners clinched the AL West and went on to play in the first season of divisional post season play against the New York Yankees. The franchise's future in Seattle had been in question due to poor attendance, but the Mariners' win against the Yankees in Game 5 changed many minds and gave enough momentum to keep the team in place. Martinez's performance in the 1995 ALDS was key to the Mariners' win.