Martis earns first win in 9-4 romp over Florida
His parents had flown all the way from their native Curacao, the small island in the Netherlands Antilles off the Venezuelan coast.
Richard and Aethym Martis had already watched their son, Shairon, pitch in person once for the Nationals — an ugly loss last week to the New York Mets. They are scheduled to depart this Friday, but had one last chance before leaving the United States to see their 21-year-old make another start at Nationals Park. He rewarded them with his first major-league victory.
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In a 2008 season where small glimmers of hope are all that remain for the Nats, Martis, a rookie right-hander, provided one with 5 1/3 solid innings, holding his own against a Florida Marlins lineup that has tormented Washington all year. The bullpen and the offense did the rest in a 9-4 victory.
“It feels amazing. Every pitcher wants to get a “W” and today I got my first “W” in the major leagues,” said Martis, who gave up three earned runs on five hits with two walks in the longest outing of his four starts with Washington. “I didn’t feel any extra pressure, because if you put pressure on yourself like that it’s not going to work. So I just forgot about that and did my job.”
Martis’ parents also watched their son endure a time-honored baseball tradition. While giving a postgame television interview with MASN, teammate Wil Nieves smashed a towel full of shaving cream into his face. One aspect of Martis’ personality that has impressed the organization so far is his ability to remain calm under pressure. He simply laughed, wiped the shaving cream aside and finished the interview like a pro.
“Shairon’s got kind of a tough demeanor about himself. He’s tough to read,” Nats manager Manny Acta said. “I don’t think he lets people know when he’s struggling or not. We weren’t able to notice anything. He stays positive when you talk to him so that’s a good sign.”
Martis (1-3, 5.89 ERA) struggled early as Florida registered three hits in the first inning, including a double by John Baker and an RBI single by Mike Jacobs. But the Nats escaped more trouble thanks to a nicely turned double play started by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who followed in the bottom of the frame with a two-run home run to left. It was the second time this season Zimmerman has homered in back-to-back games.
But after Josh Willingham hit a solo homer to lead off the second, Martis struck out the next four batters, retired nine in a row and 13 of the next 14 Marlins. He did appear to tire in the sixth with a pair of one-out walks to Jorge Cantu and Jacobs. Dan Uggla then greeted reliever Steven Shell with an RBI single. But the inning ended with the Nats still ahead 4-3 after Willingham hit into a 5-4-3 double play.
“Regardless of what [Martis] did today he’s made a lot of progress,” Acta said. “This kid was pitching at [Single-A] Potomac last year.”
With the game tied at 2 the Nats manufactured a run in the third — with some help from the Marlins. Alberto Gonzalez led off with a single and then went to third when a Zimmerman smash skidded through the legs of third baseman Cantu for a two-base error. That set up a sacrifice fly by Lastings Milledge to put Washington up 3-2. Milledge added an RBI single his next time at-bat in the fifth and Gonzalez tacked on an RBI hit in the sixth to make it 5-3.
Gonzalez, a late substitute for starter Cristian Guzman (flu) at shortstop, had an outstanding night for the Nats, batting a career-high 4-for-5 with two doubles, two singles, two RBI and three runs scored. He is batting .410 in 13 games with Washington and seven of his 16 hits have been for extra bases. Zimmerman was 2-for-5, including his two-run home run, and Milledge was 3-for-4 with three RBI. Add in a 2-for-5 night for Anderson Hernandez and the Nats’ top four batters were 11-for-19 with six runs scored and all nine RBI.
Left-handed reliever Mike Hinckley continued his strong September. The rookie call-up took over for Shell, allowing two hits, but pitching scoreless innings in both the seventh and eighth. Hinckley has yet to allow an earned run in 11 2/3 innings this month. The Nats added four runs in the bottom of the eighth and Joel Hanrahan closed things out in the ninth despite giving up a solo homer to Cody Ross.
Nats notes
» The Nationals named right-handed pitcher Jordan Zimmermann as the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year and outfielder Leonard Davis as their Minor League Player of the Year.
» Zimmermann, 22, was a combined 10-3 with a 2.89 ERA at Double-A Harrisburg and Single-A Potomac. He led the organization in strikeouts (134) and tied for first in wins. Davis, 24, hit .310 with 28 doubles, 25 home runs, 76 RBI and a .365 on-base percentage in stints at Single-A Potomac, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Columbus.
» The Marlins (81-76) saw a four-game winning streak over the Nats halted. They were also eliminated from postseason contention with the loss.
» The Nats (59-98) still must win four of their final five games to avoid 100 losses.
» Right-handed rookie pitcher Shairon Martis becomes fifth Washington pitcher to earn his first major-league win this season, joining Collin Balester, Garrett Mock, Steven Shell and Charlie Manning.
