Domingo Emilio Martínez Lafontaine (born August 4, 1965) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player who played for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

in the major leagues, and the

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, ...

and

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

. He currently works as a scout for the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011 ...

Career

Martínez was signed by the

in 1984, and spent several years in the minors before making his major league debut in 1992. He played in seven games that year, and eight games in 1993, before being traded to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. However, he did not play in the major leagues again, and was eventually signed by the

in 1997. He was expected to become the team's cleanup batter, replacing

Kazuhiro Kiyohara is a Japanese television personality, YouTuber and former professional baseball player. He played in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league for 23 seasons. He retired following the 2008 season. Born in Kishiwada, Osaka in 1967, his family w ...

, who had signed with the

. He went on to play the entire season as the team's

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

, batting .305 with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs. He was recognized for his standout hitting with a Best Nine award in 1997, and his round appearance made him a popular figure among fans, who gave him the nickname ''Maruchan''. He continued his success the following year, hitting 30 homers and driving in 95 runs, but was not re-signed following the 1998 season. The Lions would miss Martínez's presence in the lineup in 1999, as the poor performances of his foreign replacements in Greg Blosser and

Alan Zinter Alan Michael Zinter (born May 19, 1968) is an American former professional baseball player and hitting coach. He played for Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 1999 and with the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks of Major Le ...

, and the team's overall lack of power, were significant factors in the Lions not winning their third straight Pacific League title. Martínez spent the beginning of 1999 playing in the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

, but was called back to Japan by the

, who signed him in June. Martínez was ineffective as a pinch-hitter, but contributed greatly after becoming the regular left fielder. He continued his hitting prowess by batting .324 with 16 homers and 56 RBIs, but his poor fielding often required a defensive substitution late in games. He also filled in at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

, his natural position, over the course of his three seasons with the Giants when

was injured. He hit well again for the Giants in 2000, putting together a .288 average with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs. Injuries and weight problems relegated Martinez to a bench role in 2001, and he batted just .237 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs. Martinez retired after his contract expired at the end of 2001, and he later joined the Central League's

as a scout in 2006.

References

External links

Nippon Professional Baseball career statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Domingo 1965 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 20th-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Nashville Sounds players Nippon Professional Baseball designated hitters Nippon Professional Baseball infielders Seibu Lions players Toronto Blue Jays players Yomiuri Giants players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Broncos de Reynosa players Diablos Rojos del México players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Knoxville Blue Jays players Louisville Redbirds players Rochester Red Wings players Syracuse Chiefs players Ventura County Gulls players