Detroit Tigers: Victor Martinez Delivers in Exhibition Game One

For Detroit Tigers fans, today marked the first “real” exhibition game. And the first sign that Victor Martinez has real power.

For fans who joyfully listened to Jim Price and Dan Dickerson call the first game of the season, the game brought sighs of relief, joy, and pain. The Tigers lost to the Pirates 4 to 2, but in the hearts of the fans, the Tigers won. The reason: Victor Martinez.

Just to bring back the pain of 2015 one more time, Martinez had his worst season in 13 years of baseball. So, the constant question in the offseason was whether or not V-Mart would be able to ever hit like he did in 2014 – his best season.

The question was answered today in his second and third at-bats.

Martinez’s first at-bat brought about several “same-ol’-Martinez” calls from social media as he grounded into a double play. He did this after Kyle Lobstein walked both Justin Upton and Miguel Cabrera. This ended the first inning and made a few fans sarcastically fear that nothing had changed from 2015. Martinez grounded into 18 double plays last year.

In the fourth inning, Martinez’s second at-bat brought some relief. Cabrera hit a single, then Dominic Ficociello stepped in to run for Miggy. Martinez also hit a single, moving Ficociello. Unfortunately, J.D. Martinez struck out and Nick Castellanos added to his own grounded-into-double-play numbers.

When V-Mart hit his single in the fourth inning, Brad Ausmus wanted to give him a pinch runner. Martinez shook him off and stayed on the base. While the Skipper should be the one to make the call, Ausmus respected Victor’s decision to remain in the game.

In hindsight, the decision was wise. (Good call, Brad.)

By the time Victor returned to the plate in the sixth inning, all of the starters had been replaced by minor leaguers. JaCoby Jones struck out; John Mayberry flied out. Then, Ficociello hit a fly ball double, setting the stage for Victor. The All-Star approached the plate and waited for the right pitch. It arrived and Victor hit a golden-rope home run to right field. This tied the game, but it did so much more.

It let the fans see Victor Martinez. And his power.

Of course, three at-bats do not make a hitter a great one, but this Victor Martinez. He has come back from multiple knee surgeries and managed to have his best season at age 35. There isn’t much difference between being 35 and 37, so there is a high possibility that he could have another fantastic season in 2016. In 2015, he only hit 11 home runs, simply because he could not generate power off of his healing knee. Hitting the home run from the left side showed that his power has returned and he knows how to generate it to get results. Check out the home run video here.

Despite the fact that he hit the home run off of Rob Scahill, a pitcher who has moved back-and-forth between the Majors and Minors for a few years, the home run is a sign. He is feeling good.

Martinez is a leader on and off the field. The fact that he took on the leadership role, demanded one more at-bat, and delivered, is enough to show the team and the fans that he is back and he wants to win.

Next: Detroit Tigers Grapefruit League Preview

The home run brought the “buggy whip” and the “way back” calls from the favorite radio announcers. And, no bubble wrap suits were needed!