Victor Martinez arrives
Posted by Monique Walker, Globe Staff August 1, 2009 05:09 PM
Victor Martinez will make his Red Sox debut tonight, starting at first base against the Orioles.
Today he met with reporters before the game and said he is excited about joining a playoff contender but sad about leaving the Cleveland Guardians, an organization that signed him out of Venezuela in 1996.
"It’s tough to leave that team that gave you the opportunity to be a Major League ballplayer, especially when it was my only organization," said Martinez, who was traded from Cleveland yesterday for Justin Masterson and minor leaguers Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price.
Despite leaving the Guardians, Martinez said that he is "honored to wear the Boston uniform."
Martinez is hitting .284 this season with 15 homers and 67 RBIs. He is both a catcher and a first baseman, but he said he had not had the chance to talk with manager Terry Francona in detail about how he will be used defensively.
When it comes to working with catcher Jason Varitek, Martinez said he is looking forward to learning from the veteran catcher.
"I always look up to Jason," Martinez said. "He’s one of the best catchers in the game. I always look up to him, and I really look forward to talking to him a lot just to be beside him and learn. I’ll learn a lot of stuff from him."