Lofty Designation - Seattle Mariners Will Add DH Edgar Martinez To Team Hall Of Fame - MLB

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MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - Edgar Martinez, the best designated hitter in Major League Baseball history, has been selected for induction into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame. Martinez joins such team luminaries as first baseman Alvin Davis, Dave Niehaus, the Voice of the Mariners, and outfielder Jay Buhner, the three current members of the Mariners Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place at Safeco Field in a pre-game ceremony on Saturday, June 2.

Martinez’s induction coincides with the opening of the new Northwest Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame at Safeco Field. The Museum and Hall of Fame, located on the Main Concourse of the ballpark along the third base line, pays tribute to the rich history of baseball in the Northwest, and offers fun interactive activities for fans of all ages. The Museum and Hall of Fame will be open to the public during all Mariners home games.

“It was such a joy to watch Edgar grow as a baseball player and a man, and we are so proud that he did it all as a Seattle Mariner,” said Chuck Armstrong, Seattle Mariners President. “Edgar is a friend, one of the greats in this great game, and a true gentleman. His contributions to this organization and this community cannot be overstated.”

Martinez, who retired at the end of the 2004 season, played his entire 18-year Major League career for the Mariners. Over the years, he racked up an impressive string of honors and awards including seven All-Star appearances, (1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003), two batting titles (.343, 1992, .356, 1995), five Designated Hitter of the Year Awards (1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001), and, upon Edgar’s retirement, MLB Commissioner Alan H. “Bud” Selig announced that the Designated Hitter of the Year Award would be renamed the Edgar Martinez Award.

Martinez reigns as the Mariners all-time leader in batting average (.312), hits (2,247), doubles (514), walks (1,283) and games played (2,055). He is also among the top 10 in several other categories including at-bats (7,213), runs (1,219), home runs (309), RBI (1,261), total bases (3,718) and extra base hits (838).

Edgar was also at the center of one of the defining moments of Mariners history. In 1995, after an improbable 13-game comeback, the Mariners defeated the California Angels in a one-game playoff to advance to the post-season for the first time. The opponent for the American League Division Series was the New York Yankees. The Yankees took the first two games at Yankee Stadium, and the Mariners returned to the Kingdome needing to win three in a row to keep their magical season alive. The Mariners did just that—winning Games 3 and 4 in comeback fashion, and in Game 5, they scored two runs in the 8th to send it to extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th, with the Mariners trailing by one run, Edgar stepped up to the plate with Joey Cora and Ken Griffey, Jr. on base. With the count 0-1, Martinez lined a Jack McDowell pitch down the left field line, scoring Cora and Griffey, sending the Mariners to their first-ever appearance in the American League Championship Series.

The Mariners Hall of Fame was created to honor the players, staff and other individuals that greatly contributed to the history of the Mariners franchise. Alvin Davis was the first member of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame with his induction on June 14, 1997. Dave Niehaus, the Mariners long-time radio and television announcer, was inducted on May 7, 2000, and Jay Buhner became the third member on August 24, 2004.

With the assistance of noted baseball historian Dave Eskenazi, the museum explores the rich history of baseball in the Pacific Northwest from the 1880s to today. Artifacts, photos and interactive exhibits invite fans into the region’s baseball history documenting amateur, minor league and Major League Baseball. The Pacific Northwest Baseball Museum is funded through the proceeds of the sales of personalized bricks in the Bullpen Market area of Safeco Field. In total, 12,500 bricks were sold by the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District. The PFD and Mariners worked closely with Bronskill & Company, the international design firm that created Major League Baseball’s All-Star FanFest, to produce an exciting mix of exhibits, displays, dynamic attractions and activities that make up this new guest experience.