
Sinner traslada su dominaciĂłn a Madrid y se da la oportunidad de lograr una manita para la historia
Sinner avanza a la final del Mutua Madrid Open y busca su quinto tĂtulo consecutivo.
Tino Martinez reflects on his career turning point in 1993 and praises Ben Rice, calling him 'the real deal.' Martinez's experience highlights the importance of consistent play against left-handed pitchers.
Mentioned in this story
Tino Martinez â then with the Mariners â distinctly remembers 1993 as the turning point in his career. Seattle had just hired manager Lou Piniella, who promptly summoned Martinez into his office with a plan to unlock the young left-handed hitterâs potential.
âIâm going to start playing you against lefties,â Martinez said, recalling the conversation. âNo more platooning. Youâre going to be out there every day.â
By 1995, the Mariners were an American League force, and so was Martinez, who slugged 31 home runs and drove in more than 100 runs for the first time in his career. While the Mariners were on their way to ousting the Yankees in the Division Series, Martinez had finally conquered left-handed pitchers.
He batted 41 points higher against left-handed pitchers than against right-handed pitchers (.322 vs. .281), with an OPS differential of 105 points (.994 vs. .889). Three years later, in the 1998 World Series, Martinez crushed a grand slam off lefty Mark Langston in the seventh inning of Game 1, propelling the Yankees to a four-game sweep of the Padres.
Fast forward to 2026, and Martinez is seeing the same evolution in Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, who he calls âthe real dealâ and says needs to play every day.
Itâs as if history is repeating itself.
âBen needs to be in the lineup against righties and lefties, I donât care what the analytics say,â Martinez said in a telephone conversation this week. âI know him (from spring training), Iâve watched him hit. Believe me, the only people who are happy when Ben Rice isnât in the lineup is the opposing pitcher.â
The transition to everyday playing time is in the works. In fact, the planned platoon with Paul Goldschmidt is already obsolete as Rice continues to pummel the American League. With 10 home runs in the Yankeesâ first 31 games, Rice is sixth in the league in batting average (.327) and second in OPS (1.157).
Tino Martinez praised Ben Rice, stating that he is 'the real deal' and highlighting his impressive performance.
In 1993, Tino Martinez's career took a turn when Mariners manager Lou Piniella decided to play him regularly against left-handed pitchers, leading to significant improvements in his performance.
Tino Martinez batted .322 against left-handed pitchers, compared to .281 against right-handers, with an OPS differential of 105 points.
In the 1998 World Series, Tino Martinez hit a grand slam off lefty Mark Langston in Game 1, contributing to the Yankees' four-game sweep of the Padres.

Sinner avanza a la final del Mutua Madrid Open y busca su quinto tĂtulo consecutivo.
Nationals add reliever Max Kranick, formerly with the Mets
SPFL claims Rangers should receive 5% of tickets for derby match amid Celtic's refusal.
Ranking Kentucky Derby Horses: From Litmus Test to Commandment
Barcelona's top target Alessandro Bastoni worried about club's interest in Premier League player.
ESPN's Ben Solak is excited about Browns' KC Concepcion but worries about the QB situation.
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
He and Aaron Judge have combined for 21 home runs. Judgeâs power should surprise no one. But Rice has blown past all expectations this year â and itâs more than just a temporary hot streak, according to Martinez.
âMan, his hands are really quick with a short stride,â Martinez said. âIt seems like heâs locked and loaded every time heâs at the plate. I see a lot of power. Ben is strong. I mean, really strong. Thatâs why he has to be in the lineup.â
Even as a natural-born catcher with only average defensive skills at first base? Martinez and I both know manager Aaron Boone is already all-in with Rice. Thatâs true on both sides of the ball. But Martinez sees improvement in Riceâs defense that could further limit Goldschmidtâs playing time.
âBenâs got good hands, heâs got a good arm, now itâs just a matter of letting him go out there,â Martinez said. âItâs like anything else in baseball. The more youâre out there, the more you learn. You start to make better decisions.
âFor instance, whether to try to turn the double play on a slow hit ball. Or whether to make the stretch or come off the base when you know the runner is probably going to be safe. Those are the little ways you save the team runs. But overall, Benâs going to be fine.â
Martinez watches most Yankees games on TV, and he was a guest instructor during spring training. Martinez was actually at Yankee Stadium last weekend, although in a distinctly non-traditional role.
Martinez was the celebrity guest of the Savannah Bananas, who played to sold-out crowds of 50,000 on Friday and Sunday. Martinez was supposed to appear with the Bananas in 2025, but had to cancel when one of his pregnant daughters went into early labor.
âI told them, âletâs try again (in 2026),â so we agreed on (last) weekend,â Martinez said. âBut my other daughter, who was pregnant, also went into labor just as I was about to come to New York.â
Martinez laughed and said, âWhat were the odds of that? I mean, how could I tell Jesse (owner Cole) both my daughters had gone into labor two years in a row, just as I was about to play for the Bananas? He wouldâve thought I was lying.
âSo I got on the plane Sunday morning, and went right to the Stadium.â
Martinez hadnât competitively batted since his retirement in 2005. Stepping into the batterâs box in the sixth inning while wearing his yellow uniform, Martinez quickly realized this would be more challenging than facing David Cone or Andy Pettitte lobbing the ball during Old Timersâ Day.
Martinez swung and missed on three legitimate fastballs.
âI really wanted to put the ball in play for the fans,â he said. âThe players were great to me, very friendly. A lot of them said, âI was a fan of yours growing up.â It wouldâve nice to drive the ball somewhere. But the guy I was facing was probably throwing around 90 (mph). And it was 4:30 in the afternoon. The shadows were so bad I literally couldnât see the ball.â
âBut I had a great time. The Bananas put on a great show. Itâs fun for families and kids.â
It was a learning experience for a 58-year-old former World Series hero who realized those precious Octobers were indeed a lifetime ago.
MORE BY
BOB KLAPISCH
âI remember what it was like being 27-28, playing for the Yankees with all that power, being at the top of my game. But the body and abilities arenât there anymore. Age takes over. I swung at three pitches and didnât even come close.â
Martinez laughed one more time.
âI walked back to the dugout thinking, âhow did I ever hit pitches that fast?ââ
Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.