Gene Martin

Former pinch hitter and left fielder Washington Senators and Nippon Professional Baseball League

What is Gene Martin known for?

Thomas Eugene Martin, known as Gene Martin, was born on January 12, 1947, in Americus, Georgia. This prodigious baseball talent carved his education path at Dougherty Comprehensive High School in Albany, Georgia. Gene Martin embarked on his professional baseball career as an outfielder with a debut in the Major League Baseball (MLB) on July 28, 1968, for the Washington Senators. His career spanned a brief but impactful period in the major leagues.

Early in his career, Martin proved to be quite a formidable player, batting left and throwing right, standing 6 feet tall and weighing 190 pounds. His stint in the MLB, although short, left a significant mark. In his nine appearances in 1968, seven of them as a pinch hitter, he impressively hit .364 with two singles, a double, and a home run in just 11 at-bats. His home run was struck at Yankee Stadium against Stan Bahnsen, the 1968 American League Rookie of the Year, accounting for Martin's lone run batted in.

In addition to his noteworthy performances in the MLB, Gene Martin also made a remarkable contribution to the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, where he played for six seasons between 1974 and 1979. He spent five seasons with Chunichi Dragons and his last one with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales. Over the course of his Japanese career, he hit 189 home runs while maintaining a .272 batting average, averaging over 30 home runs per season.

Beside his numerous achievements in Baseball, Martin also served in the United States Army as a parachute rigger. Drafted in 1965, he was deployed to Vietnam in February 1967, during the Vietnam War, adding the title of veteran to his already illustrious list of accomplishments.

For more detailed statistics and information, visit Baseball Reference or Retrosheet. Also, for his performance in the Venezuelan Winter League, check out Pelota Binaria.