Rafael Martin's dazzling major league debut

When right-hander Rafael Martin came off the field at hallowed Fenway Park yesterday, starter Gio Gonzalez was waiting with a new nickname for the 30-the-year-old rookie.

"I'm the Mexican Assassin," Martin said with a smirk after working two impressive innings in the Nats' 10-5 victory.

Martin was just that in his major league debut, as he struck out five straight Red Sox hitters, including three-time All Star Hanley Ramirez, in helping to preserve the Nats' third win of the season.

"I can't even describe it," said Martin. "I have no words. It's something. A great feeling."

Martin's path to the big leagues appears to be stolen from a Hollywood producer's desk. He wasn't discovered by the Nationals until the age of 25 in the Mexican League. He had been working construction in Los Angeles and playing in weekend men's leagues, even beer league softball games. His journey to random cities and towns more resembles someone in witness protection than a guy who dominated in the spotlight yesterday afternoon inside one of the game's most venerable cathedrals.

"I love him," said Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper, a teammate of Martin's in the minors. "I have since Double-A. He's a great guy. To do what he did today was unbelievable. His stuff's dirty, shadows or not. He's got good stuff. He's got the slider, the sinker, the cutter, changeup. He throws the kitchen sink. He's very good out there and he's fun to watch."

The Nationals brought Martin to Boston on Wednesday afternoon to fill a bullpen spot after left-hander Xavier Cedeno was designated for assignment on Tuesday. Martin's wife was able to come along for the trip in anticipation of seeing her husband's special moment. After the Nats exploded for six runs to take a commanding lead, and with Gonzalez's pitch count rising, Martin began to recognize the stage that had been set.

"I was thinking, 'OK, this might be my time.' And sure enough, when he said, 'Martin, you're going,' that's when the adrenaline got going and I got nervous a little bit," Martin said. "Once that door opened and I started jogging to the mound, it kind of went away."

His first order of business was to keep Mookie Betts off base, a tough task considering the Red Sox center fielder had tormented the Nats for the entire series. Mission accomplished, as Betts flew out. Martin's one blemish followed when second baseman Dustin Pedroia lined a single to left. But after that, Martin unleashed his arsenal of cut fastballs and breaking balls in a barrage of strikeouts.

Ramirez and Allen Craig fanned to end the seventh. In the eighth, Martin struck out the side, getting Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino and Xander Bogaerts.

Nats catcher Wilson Ramos was behind the plate for the two innings and said a confident Martin even shook him off a few times to stick with his deceptive fastball.

"I'm very excited for the job he did," Ramos said. "He attacked the hitter and he didn't care who was at the plate. He faced a couple good hitters like Hanley and other guys. He attacked the hitter pretty well. The ball was down in the zone. He attacked the zone early. That was an amazing job for him."

It was clear that Martin's performance gave the Nats clubhouse of heavy dose of positive vibes. For Gonzalez, Martin helped him notch his first win of the season.

"He's got so much life, so much energy in the way he throws out there," said Gonzalez. "He's very impressive. We were in here talking about him and how fun to watch. The guy is lights out. He's gonna give you some innings and minimize the damage."

And nice work by the director of this script to allow Martin to have his moment in a fairly memorable location.

"Especially some place like Fenway," Martin said. "So very special for me."