John Robert Martin (born April 11, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Martin attended

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

(EMU). He was a member of the 1976 and 1977

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

(MAC) Championship EMU teams. Martin is also a member of the EMU Hall of Fame. The

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

drafted Martin in the 27th round of the

1978 Major League Baseball Draft In 1978, four American baseball players were promoted from amateur baseball to the major leagues, including Arizona State University third baseman Bob Horner, who was selected number one overall by the Atlanta Braves. Oakland High School pitche ...

. The Tigers traded him to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

with Al Greene for

Jim Lentine James Matthew Lentine is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. He played all or part of three seasons in the major leagues, from to , for the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers. He is based in San Clemente, California, and working ...

on June 2, 1980. After appearing in 9 games, starting 5, and winning 2 in his rookie year of 1980, with the St. Louis Cardinals, Martin recorded his best year in 1981, recording 8 wins against 5 losses, four complete games, and a 3.42

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA). In 1982, after a subpar start with a sore arm, he only started in 7 games, and finished the season mostly out of the bullpen (4–5, 4.23 ERA). Martin adjusted to pitching in relief and bounced back with a 3–1 record and 4.18 ERA. The Cardinals sold him to the Detroit Tigers on August 4, 1983. For the Tigers, Martin appeared in 15 games and had a 7.43 ERA.

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RetrosheetPura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
1956 births Living people Arkansas Travelers players Bristol Tigers players Detroit Tigers players Eastern Michigan Eagles baseball players Evansville Triplets players Lakeland Tigers players Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball pitchers Montgomery Rebels players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Orlando Twins players People from Wyandotte, Michigan Baseball players from Wayne County, Michigan Rochester Red Wings players Springfield Redbirds players St. Louis Cardinals players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1950s-stub