BRONX, NY — Nick Martinez anticipated a visit to the Bronx this weekend as the right-hander of the Tampa Bay Rays was groomed to be standout starter after a successful four-year collegiate career at Fordham University right up the block from Yankee Stadium.
The Rams and Fordham have a history in the Bronx—baseball with former Yankee Frankie Frisch, the late Baltimore Orioles All-Star Paul Blair at one time coached the Rams up at Rose Hill, Pete Harnisch, a flame thrower with the Houston Astros, and Jack Coffey, the football field named in his honor at Rose Hill.
And recently the Yankees had reliever Greg Weissert on the roster for a brief stint, another Fordham alum, now with the Red Sox.
Fordham Athletics has had a long and rich history in the Bronx, dating back to the late 1800’s – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
However, this was about Martinez, who’s been in a similar territory on the mound at Yankee Stadium, a veteran of sorts. In his early twenties with the Texas Rangers, the 35-year-old Cuban-American marveled at his craft. What followed was switching between starting and throwing out of the bullpen with the Padres and Reds.
And a four-year stint in Japan after his Rangers tenure which helped Martinez perfect his arsenal of a fastball, changeup, slider, and recently added cutter.
Nick Martinez began his MLB career with the Rangers (2014-2017) and then spent four years in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan before returning to MLB with the Padres in 2022 – Image Credit: Francisco Rodriguez/Latino Sports
“Yeah, they changed it and it gave me a lot of confidence and it carried over,” he said about his changeup and how coaches in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan gave him more confidence.
Friday night in the Bronx, the changeup and arsenal overall challenged the Yankees. Martinez got the start and on the other side was Gerrit Cole in his first outing since undergoing Tommy John surgery (six innings, two hits, zero runs, three walks and two strikeouts—72 pitches, 50 for strikes).
Martinez allowed an Austin Wells home run in the fifth inning, a first pitch sinker that went over the wall in right-center.
His lone run allowed, though Martinez did not record a decision. Tampa Bay’s bullpen, after the offense scored four runs in the eighth, continued their reign with a 4-2 win and increased their stature with the best record in the majors (34-14). A series opening win of a three-game set as the Rays also increased their first place AL East division lead over the Yankees to 5-½ games.
Martinez would like that pitch back he threw to Wells, his first home run allowed in 43.2 innings since the second inning against the Yankees on April 11th down in Tampa. He tends to locate and challenge hitters with that repertoire and the Yankees lineup felt it.
Austin Wells recorded his fourth home run of the 2026 regular season Friday evening vs. the Rays, which marked one of 11 hits for the Yankees on the night – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
However; when you look at his numbers—other teams are confronted with a challenge. Across 10 outings this year, Martinez has gone 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA, the lowest by a Rays starter in franchise history, and second in the American League for 2026. And in two starts against the Yankees this season, he has posted 1.69 ERA.
Though he admits the changeup this time was not effective, again the repertoire was a difference—something that has placed his statistics amongst the top-five in the game. More importantly, the Rays with Martinez on the hill hold a collective staff ERA of 3.57 which is second in the AL and sixth in all of baseball.
“It was a grind for me,” he said about his six innings and nine hits allowed. “But we’re a grinding team. Our style of play, we don’t give up.” The Rays bullpen finished the job after him, earning their 14th comeback win of the season.
Martinez enjoyed the day off Thursday in the Bronx, venturing back to his old stomping grounds of Rose Hill where he pitched with a few of the current Rams on the field.
Nick Martinez enjoyed his Thursday off in New York by visiting his old stomping grounds of Fordham University – Image Credit: Fordham Athletics
“It’s nice to go back and you know, such a huge campus,” he said. “I fall in love with it every time I get there. They don’t bother me for tickets, I’m happy to be there for them. Pitching at Yankee Stadium, it’s always special for me. I grew up a Marlins fan but I’m a sucker for history and tradition.”
The Miami, Florida native later mentioned the adrenaline of pitching in New York and how there’s nothing like it, stating, “What better place than New York, you are pitching at Yankee Stadium.”
Nick Martinez and Tampa Bay’s bullpen had the Yankees guessing at the plate all night long in the Bronx, going 2-12 with runners in scoring position – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The Yankees saw that from the first inning. He also noted how the Rays communicate well and how guys are out there playing small ball while always giving their pitcher a chance to win.
It leads to a winning attitude and a team with chemistry. Martinez is a catalyst to that starting rotation with right-hander Drew Rasmussen (4-1, 3,19 ERA) who will start game two of the series Saturday afternoon if weather permits.
But as Martinez said: “The cutter was good.” His arsenal delivered to a struggling Yankees lineup was better.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and columnist at LatinoSports.com with coverage of MLB, boxing, and MLS – X: @Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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