Edgar Day

There's not much I can add to the deserved praise Edgar Martinez is receiving in the lead up to his induction in the baseball Hall of Fame today.  I do, of course, have a fan's perspective to add but first I need to note last night's loss to the Angels.

Once again a tight, well-pitched contest went from a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning to a 6-2 loss by the end.  Two base-running mistakes, by Dylan Moore and Mallex Smith, in the fateful seventh unraveled a promising rally.  No error was charged in the top of the ninth, but there were plenty of culprits on a misplayed infield pop-up, followed by  a home run to Mike Trout from a Roenis Elias grooved fatball (no misspelling), who shows signs of being a closer except when he doesn't.

Edgar.  He was just good, always good.  If he ever had a bad night at the plate I don't remember it.  He was the definition of clutch.  Those wonderful highlights they've been showing of his heroics in the critical fourth and fifth games of the 1995 championship series against the Yankees could have been drawn from any two games in the 18 years he played.

He had the misfortune of playing in the shadow one of the game's all-time greatest hitters, Griffey, Jr., and alongside some other clutch hitters - Buhner, Tino Martinez, a young Arod. There were times when his exceptional steady clutch hitting could get lost in the line-up, but he was undeniably the key to countless Mariner offensive rallies.

He also suffered from being, for most of his career, a designated hitter, a role many of the games purists short-sightedly dismiss as not "real baseball."

Some of Edgar's greatness was concealed by the modest and unassuming personality he expressed both on and off the field.  He gave the impression of a guy just doing a job, cranking out line-drive doubles and home runs to every field under every condition.  He never drew attention to himself.  Even in the weeks preceding this HOF moment, he has maintained his soft-spoken, genuine humility.

He was my wife, Kathleen's, favorite player.  At the time I could never understand why.  She's not a big baseball fan and certainly not one to have "favorites."  Over the seasons we would sit in Section 109 as we good-naturedly debated her choice over my list of nominations.  History has proven her right.  Today he'll take his place right alongside Junior, right where he belongs.