Columbus right-hander Joe Martinez was ready to kick back and watch the Triple-A National Championship Game from the comfort of the Clippers' dugout.
The 28-year-old thought his last start of the season was a seven-inning, 13-strikeout masterpiece in a 6-2 win over Lehigh Valley in Game 3 of the International League finals on Thursday.
Martinez was fully expecting teammate Mitch Talbot to take the mound Tuesday night at Isotopes Park, but Columbus' parent team, the Cleveland Indians, told the Clippers to hold back Talbot.
So once again, Martinez, a valuable "utility pitcher" who made 16 starts and 19 relief appearances during the regular season, was called upon by Columbus manager Mike Sarbaugh.
Even with such short notice, Martinez pitched another seven-inning gem as the Clippers defeated the Omaha Storm Chasers 8-3 in front of 9,569 Albuquerque fans.
“I wasn’t really prepared to pitch earlier on," Martinez said. "After my last start I figured I was done for the season and I shut it down a little bit. If I’d known I was going to pitch I probably would have approached the next couple days differently. They gave me a couple days notice and I was able to get ready in a hurry."
Martinez gave up three runs in the first inning on Lorenzo Cain's two-run triple and John Whittleman's RBI single. After a quick chat with catcher Luke Carlin in the dugout, Martinez adjusted his game plan and proceeded to toss six shutout innings.
“I thought after a tough first inning, they came out aggressive early in the count and then he settled down,” Sarbaugh said. “I thought he started pitching. I don’t know what it was in the first, but they got him. But he made some adjustments. For him to give us seven after that first inning was great.”
Sarbaugh said it was not entirely fair to Martinez to call upon him Sunday to pitch a game 48 hours later, but the manager had faith in the former San Francisco Giant.
“He was a little caught off-guard," Sarbaugh said. "With the couple off-days we had, I’m not sure he was preparing mentally. He’s been in the bullpen, he’s been a starter. He’s been through some (tough) situations this season. I didn’t expect him not to come out and be ready to pitch, which he was."
Martinez went 8-9 with a 4.04 ERA this year. He pitched briefly for San Francisco and Pittsburgh last season, spending the rest of the campaign at Triple-A Fresno. Tuesday was his first career start in Albuquerque, a notorious hitter's park where keeping the ball down is always the number one objective of any visiting pitcher.
“I think that’s Joe’s game plan anyways," Carlin said. "He’s a sinker-ball pitcher. We were going to use the sinker no matter what. Obviously it helps when he’s got great stuff. He was able to make the adjustments today and got it done."
Carlin got the job done as well, hitting a three-run homer in the second inning to tie the game.
Tim Fedroff and Travis Buck then hit back-to-back singles to start the third, followed by Jared Goedert's RBI double and Beau Mills' RBI single. Goedert then came around to score on a double-play groundout by Chad Huffman that made it 6-3.
Columbus tacked on two more runs on Fedroff's bloop RBI single in the fourth and Mills' leadoff home run in the eighth.
Omaha's Sean O'Sullivan was charged with six runs on six hits and one walk in three innings. His teammates mustered just five hits after the first inning, getting runners to third base in the fifth and eight innings, but the Storm Chasers were unable to score against Martinez or reliever Chen Lee.
Despite the defeat, Omaha manager Mike Jirschele was upbeat after the game.
“This has been a great year, it really has," he said. "With the new ballpark and putting together a year like this, winning our division, winning the PCL, you couldn’t ask for anything more — besides winning tonight."
Both clubs were impressed by the sizable, lively crowd that stayed right up until the end of the game.
“I thought it was a great atmosphere," Sarbaugh said. "I know this is the first year here in Albuquerque. They did a great job. The front office did a great job. It was first class."
The Minor League Baseball season will begin anew next spring, with the Isotopes opening their home schedule April 13 against the Storm Chasers.
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