Overview
- Tampa Bay tapped Martinez to start Game 3 in the Bronx as the Rays lead the best-of-five AL Division Series 2-0 and stand one win from the American League Championship Series.
- Martinez’s return to Yankee Stadium completes a full-circle story from his Fordham days when he watched games from the bleachers and once got ejected as a student.
- He spent 2018–21 pitching in Japan for the Nippon-Ham Fighters and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, a stretch he says reshaped his mechanics and mindset and revived his career.
- Martinez signed a one-year, $13 million deal with Tampa Bay for 2026, became a first-time All-Star this season with a 15–6 record and 3.10 ERA, and moved into a full-time starting role.
- The Rays rely on Martinez’s sinker- and cutter-driven approach to induce soft contact, and a win in Game 3 would send Tampa Bay to the ALCS as the club leans on pitching depth in its first serious World Series push.