J.D. Martinez continues to score important runs for the Mets.
The six-time All-Star, one game after hitting his first career walk-off home run, hit a crucial two-run double in the third inning to give the Mets a 2-1 victory over the Padres on Friday night at Citi Field.
After the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza described Martinez as a “professional hitter who uses the whole field,” and his career stats back that up.
The 15-year veteran owns a career batting average of .297 in nearly 1,900 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
“I consider myself a big guy who hits the ball well the other way. [slugging percentage]”That’s the secret to scoring points. It doesn’t take any special skill, just do it consistently and don’t give in under pressure,” Martinez said.
The 36-year-old Martinez has eight RBIs in his last six games and is continuing to bat at a professional level as the center of the team’s batting lineup during their recent 9-4 record.
“Just the atmosphere [has changed]”We keep talking about it. No pressure,” Martinez said. “Nobody’s thinking about the Mets. They’re giving up on us, so there’s no pressure. Just go out there and have fun.”
Martinez, who had one hit and one walk in three at-bats, signed as a free agent late in spring training but didn’t make his first appearance until April 26 because of back pain.
The DH position was a clear weakness for the team last season, but Martinez appeared in 42 games and recorded six home runs and 23 RBIs.
Martinez, who hit a game-winning home run to right field in the ninth inning last night against the Marlins, went the other way again in the third inning Friday, smashing a two-run double to right field off Padres knuckleballer Matt Waldron to give his team a 2-0 lead and all the runs it needed.
“From at-bat one through at-bat nine, he’s rotated through different situations, every at-bat,” Mendoza said of Martinez. “He’s very vocal about it. He’s not afraid to approach his teammates and tell them what he thinks. That says a lot about what he brings to the table as a player and as a teammate. And the way he expresses himself in batter conferences and how he looks at the game as a whole from the offensive end has been game-changing.”
“He brings a lot to the table. I don’t think it’s a secret. The guys go to him and ask him questions. He bounces ideas off the hitting coach and me. It’s a good environment and there’s a lot of dialogue going on and that’s mostly because of J.D. Martinez.”
