Buck Martinez
Buck Martinez, Color Analyst
Buck Martinez returns for his sixth season as an Orioles television analyst, bringing a wealth of baseball experience to the broadcast booth. He will team with Gary Thorne or Jim Hunter to provide color commentary for Orioles games.
In addition to his Orioles duties, Martinez is in his fourth year as a co-host on "MLB This Morning," a news-magazine style baseball show that airs weekday mornings on XM Satellite Radio, and will continue his work as an analyst on ESPN's Wednesday night national MLB telecasts in 2008.
Martinez' extensive resume includes over 31 years as a player and manager in the American League and over 23 years of experience in baseball broadcasting on television and radio. Beginning in 1967 when he was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies, Martinez spent 23 years as a catcher in professional baseball with the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays organizations. He appeared in the postseason with Kansas City in 1976, batting .333 in the 5-game ALCS against the New York Yankees, and wrote two books about his experiences with the Blue Jays, "From Worst to First" (1985) and "The Last Out" (1986).
Martinez, 59, also served as manager for Toronto in 2001 and part of the 2002 season, compiling a 100-115 record. In 2006, he managed the United States team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, a 16-team international tournament that featured some of the best players in the world competing for their home countries.
Martinez' first experience with broadcasting came in 1982, when he covered the American League Championship Series, the World Series and the All-Star Game for the Telemedia Radio Network. His television broadcast career began in 1987 as a color commentator for the Toronto Blue Jays on The Sports Network. He began working with ESPN radio and television in 1992, a position he held through the 2002 season. In 1995, Martinez was awarded a Sports EMMY Award for his work on ESPN's coverage of Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game.
A California native, Martinez attended Sacramento City College, Sacramento State University, and Central Missouri State University. He and his wife, Arlene, reside in Clearwater, FL. They have one son, Casey, a 47th round pick by Toronto in the 2000 First Year Player Draft.
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