Blue Jays induct Buck Martinez into Hall of Excellence

Martinez, a former Blue Jays manager and player, was inducted into the team's Hall of Excellence before the Blue Jays' matinee against the Seattle Mariners. The 77-year-old also served as a longtime team broadcaster before retiring last winter.

Martinez joined José Bautista, Paul Beeston, George Bell, Joe Carter, Tom Cheek, Carlos Delgado, Tony Fernandez, Cito Gaston, Pat Gillick, Roy Halladay and Dave Stieb in the hall.

With guests including his family, teammates and broadcast partners, Martinez was

“He was an awesome teammate,” Stieb said at a morning media availability. “He was especially special for me because as you know, I was quite a battler out there. I would lose my emotions at times, and Buck just had a knack for calming me down and keeping me focused on the task at hand."

As part of their 50th anniversary season, the Blue Jays unveiled the section to honour the franchise's greatest contributors. The 11 honourees from the former Level of Excellence were enshrined in the hall, which is on the concourse behind right field at the downtown stadium.

Building on the legacy of the Level of Excellence, the hall will provide a space to honour players, coaches, managers, builders and broadcasters - past, present and future - to bring generations of fans closer to the people who shaped the Blue Jays, the team said.

The Level of Excellence will remain on the fascia within the ballpark bowl through the remainder of the season. It will be relocated next year within the stadium's bowl, where the names will remain visible to fans.

Martinez retired as a player in 1986 after a 17-year Major League Baseball career with the Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers.

“He was a good catcher,” Bell said. "He was very smart behind the play. He controlled all the pitchers, but especially the young guys and the rookie pitchers. He would bring them along and he took care of them.”

His broadcasting career actually began in 1982 while still an active player for the Blue Jays. Martinez started out by covering playoff games and the all-star game for the Telemedia Radio Network.

He began his television broadcasting career in 1987 as a colour analyst and went on to call over 4,000 Blue Jays games over his career. Martinez managed the Blue Jays in 2001 and part of the '02 season, compiling a 100-115 record.

His final appearance in the broadcast booth came last fall when he called the World Series with longtime broadcast partner Dan Shulman on Sportsnet. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Blue Jays in the deciding seventh game.

In 2023, he was awarded the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Jack Graney Award for his significant contributions to baseball in Canada.