The last image of Yankees catcher Russell Martin from the first half of the season was of him tearing a towel after being pinch-hit for during Saturday’s loss in Boston.
As he said after the game, his anger wasn’t at seeing Alex Rodriguez take his spot at the plate, but a result of a rough night offensively that summed up the season’s first four months for the catcher.
“I’ve always been unselfish,” Martin said before the All-Star break. “I don’t care about my stats. I never have. I just want to win. It [stinks] to have to answer these questions all the time, but the numbers are there.”
And they are ugly.
Martin finished the first half hitting .179 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs. In 2011, his first season with the Yankees, Martin hit just .220 in the first half and rebounded slightly with a .259 average after the break.
“I don’t have any statistical goals,” Martin said. “At this point, I can’t. No matter what I do, my numbers aren’t going to be good.”
But it wasn’t a total loss for the three-time All Star.
“I really don’t look to see what my average is,” Martin said. “We’re in first place. We’re a good team regardless of how I do offensively. And I’m still a part of it. I’m doing what I can behind the plate and still competing. I’m doing everything I can.”
Still, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees winning a World Series with such a drain in the lineup regularly. Martin has battled a lower-back injury for the past few weeks, but insisted he’s no more banged up than usual for this time of year.
“The only thing I can do personally is forget about the first half and start over,” Martin said. “I know I can do it.”
As he has said throughout this season-long slump, Martin doesn’t plan on making any significant changes to his approach.
“I have a simple swing,” Martin said. “You can always make little adjustments, but it’s more about staying positive when it seems like nothing is going right.”
He should know, since Martin’s average has dropped every season since his second year in the majors, bottoming out — for now — at .237 in 2011.
Martin is aware of how things look, but is adamant about not thinking beyond the start of the second half.
“My focus is on what I’m supposed to be doing each time I go up there,” the impending free agent said. “I’m not thinking, ‘I can’t let this continue’ or ‘Oh, my God, what’s going to happen at the end of the year?’ I don’t care. I just want to get it done today.”
He’ll have his chance when the Angels come to The Bronx tonight to start a three-game series.
“I’m not upset so much at the numbers as I am in not getting it done,” Martin said. “If I was having good at-bats, I could deal with everything else. It’s time to start having better at-bats.”
Maybe then he won’t have to tear up any more towels.
“Actually, I ripped three of them,” Martin said. “It wasn’t hard to do. I’m still strong.”