Domingo Martinez
Encyclopedia
Domingo Emilio Martínez La Fontaine (born August 4, 1965 in Santo Domingo
, Dominican Republic
) is a former professional baseball player who played for the Toronto Blue Jays
in the major leagues, and the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants
in Nippon Professional Baseball. He currently works as a scout for the Chunichi Dragons
.
in 1984, and spent several years in the minors before making his major league debut in 1992. He played in 8 games that year, and 7 games in 1993 before being traded to the Chicago White Sox
. He did not play in the major leagues with the White Sox, and was signed by the Seibu Lions in 1997.
He was expected to become the team's cleanup batter, replacing Kazuhiro Kiyohara
, who had signed with the Yomiuri Giants
. Martínez showed little promise during pre-season games, and Lions manager Osamu Higashio
even requested that the team sign another player as a replacement. However, Martínez gradually made improvements, and established himself as a stable power hitter at the start of the regular season. He went on to play the entire season as the team's designated hitter
. He was awarded the Best Nine award in 1997, and his round appearance made him a popular figure among fans, who gave him the nickname Maruchan. He continued his success the following year, hitting over 30 home runs with 90 RBIs, but was fired during the 1998 off-season for his slow speed and poor fielding. The Lions would miss Martínez's presence the following season, as the team's lack of power prevented them from winning consecutive league championships.
Martínez spent the beginning of 1999 playing in the Mexican League, but was called back to Japan by the Yomiuri Giants
, who signed him in June. Martínez was ineffective as a pinch-hitter, but contributed greatly after becoming the regular left fielder. He continued his hitting prowess, but his extremely poor fielding prompted the Giants pitching staff to request that he be taken out in later innings. He also played first base while Kazuhiro Kiyohara
was injured, and played extremely well at the beginning of 2001 filling in for Kiyohara. However, he was demoted to the bench after Kiyohara's injuries healed, and he packed on some extra weight after being unable to find playing time. He retired after his contract expired at the end of 2001, and became a scout for the Chunichi Dragons
in 2006.
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
) is a former professional baseball player who played for the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
in the major leagues, and the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
in Nippon Professional Baseball. He currently works as a scout for the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
.
Biography
Martínez was signed by the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
in 1984, and spent several years in the minors before making his major league debut in 1992. He played in 8 games that year, and 7 games in 1993 before being traded to the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. He did not play in the major leagues with the White Sox, and was signed by the Seibu Lions in 1997.
He was expected to become the team's cleanup batter, replacing Kazuhiro Kiyohara
Kazuhiro Kiyohara
is a former professional baseball player in Japan, having played in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league for 23 seasons. He retired following the 2008 season.-Biography:...
, who had signed with the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
. Martínez showed little promise during pre-season games, and Lions manager Osamu Higashio
Osamu Higashio
Osamu Higashio is a former Japanese baseball player who played in the Japanese professional leagues from 1969-1988. He also was manager of the Seibu Lions from 1995-2001.-Professional career:...
even requested that the team sign another player as a replacement. However, Martínez gradually made improvements, and established himself as a stable power hitter at the start of the regular season. He went on to play the entire season as the team's designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
. He was awarded the Best Nine award in 1997, and his round appearance made him a popular figure among fans, who gave him the nickname Maruchan. He continued his success the following year, hitting over 30 home runs with 90 RBIs, but was fired during the 1998 off-season for his slow speed and poor fielding. The Lions would miss Martínez's presence the following season, as the team's lack of power prevented them from winning consecutive league championships.
Martínez spent the beginning of 1999 playing in the Mexican League, but was called back to Japan by the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
, who signed him in June. Martínez was ineffective as a pinch-hitter, but contributed greatly after becoming the regular left fielder. He continued his hitting prowess, but his extremely poor fielding prompted the Giants pitching staff to request that he be taken out in later innings. He also played first base while Kazuhiro Kiyohara
Kazuhiro Kiyohara
is a former professional baseball player in Japan, having played in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league for 23 seasons. He retired following the 2008 season.-Biography:...
was injured, and played extremely well at the beginning of 2001 filling in for Kiyohara. However, he was demoted to the bench after Kiyohara's injuries healed, and he packed on some extra weight after being unable to find playing time. He retired after his contract expired at the end of 2001, and became a scout for the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
in 2006.