Posted behind the plate, former receiver Russell Martin has spent his life removing his opponents. The Quebecer, however, will have taken some time to make his last withdrawal: his own.
It was in a press release highlighting the launch of a new sparkling alcoholic drink, called “Cruise”, that it was recently revealed that Martin was now a “former Major League Baseball player”.
The main interested party also confirmed the information that he would no longer play baseball, earlier this week, during his visit to the podcast “La Poche Bleue”, hosted by former hockey players Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre.
“I haven’t played since 2019 and I haven’t even made an announcement, but I guess people must know that I’m not playing anymore,” he said.
“For sure I will not return to the game at 39,” Martin said.
Soon an official announcement
Martin plans to share the news more formally “in the coming days” through social media. For good reason, the former receiver was one of the greatest ambassadors for baseball in Quebec after the departure of the Montreal Expos in 2004.
“It’s good for the fans who have followed me throughout my career, I will announce it for them,” added the new retiree.
Since his last major league game, played in a postseason loss by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Washington Nationals in October 2019, he has toyed with the idea of continuing his career. Then came the pandemic. Martin then took care of his small family, discovered a great passion for golf and… participated in the development of a sparkling drink.
“He was inspired by the beaches of California, where he lived when he played in Los Angeles for the Dodgers, and the beautiful Florida sunsets he loved so much when he was in training camp. Blue Jays [de Toronto]in Dunedin”, we said, speaking of Martin, in the missive sent to the media.
So much for the fictionalized story of “seltzer”, already available in Quebec, at the SAQ, since last month. His spouse Élisabeth Chicoine and his faithful friend Ivan Naccarata are also at the heart of this adventure in the business world.
A great career
The story surrounding the end of Martin’s major league baseball career has been somewhat less fictionalized. The Quebec receiver would obviously have liked to conclude with a World Series ring. Martin nevertheless reached the playoffs 10 times in 14 seasons, a very fine feat in major league baseball. In addition to the Dodgers and Blue Jays, he also played for the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 1,693 regular season games, Martin batted .248 and totaled 191 home runs. In 2015, in his first season with the Blue Jays, the Quebecer had reached a career high of 23 long balls.
Among his other feats of arms: four appearances at the All-Star Game (2007, 2008, 2011 and 2015). He also won a Gold Glove and a Silver Stick in 2007 during his first stint with the Dodgers.
