BySenators Schoesler, Hunt, Wellman, Das, Takko, Cleveland, Becker, Mullet, Dhingra, Frockt, Wilson, C., Saldaña, Kuderer, Pedersen, Hobbs, Conway, Billig, Liias, Carlyle, McCoy, Brown, Hasegawa, King, Nguyen, Short, Rolfes, Lovelett, Darneille, Van De Wege, Keiser, Sheldon, Fortunato, O'Ban, Rivers, Walsh, Padden, Honeyford, Bailey, Wagoner, Zeiger, Wilson, L., and Warnick

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez was born in New York City on January 2, 1963, grew up playing baseball with his brother and neighborhood friends in Dorado, Puerto Rico, and attended American College in Puerto Rico; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez was 19 years old when he signed with the Seattle Mariners as an amateur free agent in 1982; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez rose from a graveyard-shift laborer in Puerto Rico to one of the most outstanding hitters in major league history; and

WHEREAS, When Edgar Martinez was a skinny 20-year-old with the Mariners' Class A team in Bellingham in 1983, he hit only .173 and was better known for his glove than his bat; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez endured several more seasons in the minors before he made his major league debut in 1987; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez became Seattle's everyday third baseman in 1990 and responded by hitting .302 that season and .307 in 1991; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez made his American League All-Star debut in 1992, a season in which he was crowned American League batting champion with a .343 average; and

WHEREAS, A badly pulled hamstring in a 1993 preseason exhibition game in Vancouver, B.C., caused Edgar to miss most of that season and forced him to transform himself from an able third baseman into arguably the greatest designated hitter in history; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez helped keep baseball alive in Seattle in 1995 by delivering the biggest hit in Mariners' history, a game-winning double ripped down the left-field line in the bottom of the 11th inning of the fifth and final game of the American League Divisional Series against the New York Yankees, knocking in Joey Cora and Ken Griffey Jr. and resulting in the most famous and enduring moment in Mariners' history, as teammates mobbed Griffey at the plate after he slid home with the series-winning run while a sold-out King Dome crowd roared with joy; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez became a fan favorite throughout the Northwest and a team icon as a result of his loyalty and dedication to the Mariners and the Northwest, his quiet team leadership, his humble, friendly, and pleasant demeanor, his powerful bat, and his funny TV ads for the Mariners and Eagle Hardware – "It's a light bat"; and

WHEREAS, Mariners' fans often showed their love and respect for Edgar Martinez by serenading him with chants of "Edddd...Grrrrr" before or after one of his at-bats; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez gained even more respect and admiration from fans throughout the region for his willingness to give back to the community through charities and other activities, which is evidenced by his winning the 2004 Roberto Clemente Award for outstanding baseball skills and devotion to the community; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez is revered for his many contributions to the community, including to Seattle Children's Hospital, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, Overlake Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Wishing Star Foundation, United Way, Esperanza, Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Mariners Care; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez defined the position of designated hitter, setting the major league record for home runs and RBIs by a DH, and is the only designated hitter in the history of baseball to win a batting title, hitting .356 in 1995; and

WHEREAS, Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig paid fitting tribute to Edgar Martinez's remarkable status as the most prolific designated hitter in the history of Major League Baseball when he announced on October 2, 2004, that the American League Designated Hitter of the Year Award had been officially renamed "The Edgar Martinez Award"; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez retired at the end of the 2004 season with the same team with which he began, a rarity among major league ballplayers, ending his 18-year career with a .312 batting average, 309 home runs, 1,261 runs batted in and 2,247 hits, including 514 doubles; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez is one of nine players to retire with a .300+ batting average, 500 doubles, 300 home runs, 1,000 walks, and a .400+ on-base percentage – an on-base percentage better than the great Stan Musial; and

WHEREAS, Edgar had his number 11 retired by the Mariners, and it hangs in left field alongside Jackie Robinson's 42 and Ken Griffey Jr.'s 24; and next to Edgar's Cantina in T-Mobile Park; and

WHEREAS, After retiring as a player, Edgar Martinez returned to Mariners' dugout by serving as the team's hitting coach from the middle of the 2015 season until the end of the 2018 season, and is now in a hitting adviser role for the Mariners organization; and

WHEREAS, On January 22, 2019, Edgar Martinez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the second player to enter the Hall of Fame as a Seattle Mariner, joining Ken Griffey Jr.; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez and fellow 2019 inductees Mariano Rivera, Roy Halliday, Mike Mussina, Lee Smith, and Harold Baines will be formally added to the Baseball Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, on July 21, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Edgar Martinez batted .652 against 2019 unanimous Hall of Fame reliever Mariano Rivera while all other Hall of Fame hitters batted .236 against him; and

WHEREAS, Rivera said of Martinez, "Thank God he retired. Oh my God, I think every pitcher will say that because this man was tough;"

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate honor and congratulate Edgar Martinez on being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and again thank him for his amazing career with the Seattle Mariners and for giving so much back to the team's fans and to the community.