Tino Martinez career in The Bronx ran the gamut, from the target of boo birds angry with his slow start to fan favorite revered for his intensity and clutch bat.
It came full circle Saturday afternoon, when the former first baseman was given a plaque in Monument Park — the 27th of its kind — on “Tino Martinez Day” before the Yankees’ 6-1 loss to the Orioles at the Stadium.
“I’m totally overwhelmed,” Martinez told the crowd. “All I wanted to do when I got here is play hard and help my team win games. It was an incredible ride in my life. I never dreamed of being in Monument Park. When I got the phone call, I couldn’t believe it.”
Former teammates Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, David Cone and Paul O’Neill, in addition to ex-manager Joe Torre, attended the ceremony. Derek Jeter presented Martinez with a framed picture of his plaque and he also was given a 14K white gold ring with his name, number and the Yankees emblem on it.
Martinez, 46, a Tampa, Fla., product, became a beloved figure on the great Yankees teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s, hitting .276 with 192 home runs and 739 RBIs across seven seasons and playing an impeccable first base.
Martinez also slugged two of the biggest postseason home runs — his Game 1 Grand Slam in the 1998 World Series against the Padres and his game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series against the Diamondbacks — in the Yankees’ prestigious history and was an integral part of four championship teams.
“I don’t think you can underestimate how hard it was to replace Don Mattingly,” Cone said. “Tino was the key power piece in the middle of that lineup that really set up that run.”
To Cone, the most telling moment of Martinez’s career came during the 1998 regular season against the Orioles, when reliever Armando Benitez began a benches-clearing brawl by intentionally beaning Martinez with a blistering fastball in the middle of his back after allowing a three-run home run to Bernie Williams.
“It just shows you how we cared about Tino as a team,” Cone said. “That shows you what kind of a teammate Tino was, because we all were offended by that.”
Martinez said one of the greatest days of his life was Dec. 7, 1995 — when he was traded to the Yankees, along with Jeff Nelson and Jim Mecir for Sterling Hitchcock and Russ Davis and his daughter was born that same day.
Martinez knew he would be traded in November of that year, when manager Lou Pinella told him Seattle ownership was looking to move a few veterans due arbitration. Martinez said he would like to go to the Padres, Cubs or Yankees. Before it could become official, Martinez had to agree to a contract extension with the Yankees.
“I told my agent, whatever they give me we’re taking,” he said with a laugh.