HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2019-4609

HR 4609

ByRepresentatives Chopp, Wilcox, Appleton, Barkis, Bergquist, Blake, Boehnke, Caldier, Callan, Chambers, Chandler, Chapman, Cody, Corry, Davis, DeBolt, Dent, Doglio, Dolan, Dufault, Dye, Entenman, Eslick, Fey, Fitzgibbon, Frame, Gildon, Goehner, Goodman, Graham, Gregerson, Griffey, Hansen, Harris, Hoff, Hudgins, Irwin, Jenkin, Jinkins, Kilduff, Kirby, Klippert, Kloba, Kraft, Kretz, Leavitt, Lekanoff, Lovick, MacEwen, Macri, Maycumber, McCaslin, Mead, Morgan, Morris, Mosbrucker, Orcutt, Ormsby, Ortiz-Self, Orwall, Paul, Pellicciotti, Peterson, Pettigrew, Pollet, Ramos, Reeves, Riccelli, Robinson, Rude, Ryu, Santos, Schmick, Sells, Senn, Shea, Shewmake, Slatter, Smith, Springer, Stanford, Steele, Stokesbary, Stonier, Sullivan, Sutherland, Tarleton, Thai, Tharinger, Valdez, Van Werven, Vick, Volz, Walen, Walsh, Wylie, Ybarra, and Young

WHEREAS, Edgar Martínez was born on January 2, 1963, in New York, New York, and grew up in Dorado, Puerto Rico, and taught himself to speak English; and

WHEREAS, Martínez attended American College in Puerto Rico, playing baseball on the side, and was recruited to the Pacific Northwest League in 1983; and

WHEREAS, Martínez was signed by the Seattle Mariners to a minor league contract on December 19, 1982, and made his debut in the majors in 1987, staying with the team for the duration of his eighteen year career; and

WHEREAS, In the 1995 American League Division Series Game 5, Martínez executed a game-changing hit that has been since remembered fondly by fans as "The Double," winning the game and the division series for the Mariners; and

WHEREAS, "The Double" and Martínez are credited with helping reignite the love of baseball in Seattle; and

WHEREAS, Martínez is a seven-time All Star, a five-time Silver Slugger, a two-time Batting Championship winner, has the twenty-first career-best On Base Percentage in MLB history and the ninetieth best career batting average of .312 in MLB history; and

WHEREAS, Martínez was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on September 9, 2003; and

WHEREAS, Martínez was elected to the Mariners Hall of Fame on June 2, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Martínez's number 11 jersey was retired by the Seattle Mariners on August 12, 2017; and

WHEREAS, Martínez is regarded as "the string that binds together our franchise history" by Mariners president Kevin Mather; and

WHEREAS, Martínez has made significant donations to, and elevated the cause of, fighting Muscular Dystrophy by founding the Edgar Martínez Endowment for Muscular Dystrophy Research; and

WHEREAS, Martínez embodies the spirit of the American Dream and uses his personal success to give back to others by supporting charities in Washington, and in Puerto Rico; and

WHEREAS, Martínez is an upstanding husband to wife, Holli, and father to children Alex, Tessa, and Jacqueline; and

WHEREAS, Martínez founded the Martínez Fellowship Program which focuses on improving teacher diversity and closing the opportunity gap across Washington State; and

WHEREAS, Martínez will be the first inductee to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame to have spent their entire career with the Seattle Mariners and the first player who was primarily a Designated Hitter to receive the honor; and

WHEREAS, Martínez's talents have earned him a place in Seattle history, a place in the hearts of baseball fans everywhere, and a legacy that will inspire athletes, philanthropists, activists, and all Washingtonians for years to come; 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the life and accomplishments of Edgar Martínez; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives celebrate Martínez for his significant contributions to the city of Seattle, to Major League Baseball, to the Seattle Mariners, and to the State of Washington; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives find that the induction of Edgar Martínez into the Baseball Hall of Fame is an honor worth quoting the late Dave Niehaus, "My oh my!"