KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- You’d think a guy who has seen more than a decade pass since the last time he smacked three home runs in a game would be at least somewhat fuzzy about the details. Victor Martinez was not.
In fact, he clearly recalls that game, on July 16, 2004, against the Seattle Mariners in which he did just that.
“Same as today. Two right-handed, one left-handed,” the Detroit Tigers designated hitter said. “The only difference is that game was a 5-for-5 with seven RBIs.”
Martinez waited until he heard a few surprised laughs.
“What else do you want to know?” he asked.
The 37-year-old’s memory seems to be as sharp as his bat, even after a recent setback with his right knee that kept him out of the starting lineup for the Tigers' series against the Chicago White Sox (he pinch-hit in two of those games). Martinez wasn’t even considered a lock to play the series opener in Kansas City, but the Tigers have to be relieved he did after the sort of performance that teammates were marveling about following the club’s 10-4 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.
“You’re not gonna see something like that very often,” said veteran second baseman Ian Kinsler. “A guy hits three home runs, and one from each side of the plate. I don’t know, in [MLB] history, how many times that’s happened, but it can’t be a lot. It was a historic game for him.”
To wit: Martinez is only the fourth switch-hitter with multiple three-homer games in the past century, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information (Mark Teixeira, 3; Eddie Murray, 3; Jose Valentin, 2).
Additionally, Martinez went longer than any other player in MLB history -- almost 12 full years -- between his three-homer games, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. He is the second-oldest player to record one in team history. Ty Cobbo was 38 years, 138 days old when he accomplished the feat.
The fact that Martinez was able to do so in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks (Kauffman Stadium) was even more impressive. His three home runs -- all solo shots -- traveled 1,191 feet in total.
“None of those were cheap, either,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “He’s one of the better hitters in the game and certainly we missed him in Chicago -- except for his pinch-hit appearances -- and it’s nice that he’s feeling better and swinging the bat better.”
Martinez received a cortisone shot before the series in Chicago and felt his knee improve dramatically as a result. But it will be something that he’ll continue to monitor moving forward.
“That shot in Chicago helped a lot. I just hope it stays quiet. I went through it once last year and it’s not fun, playing like that,” Martinez said. “After that shot, I felt pretty good, but we’ll see. We’ll have to keep watching it.”
Even 2016 Martinez returning from a brief layoff is a stark contrast to the version of himself who was hardly recognizable during an injury-hampered 2015 season, when he sputtered for a career-worst .245 batting average.
“His health, that’s everything,” Tigers ace Justin Verlander said after collecting his seventh win of the season Thursday night. “It’s hard enough to play this game when you feel good. If you don’t, it’s that much harder, so obviously when a guy with that much talent is feeling good, he’s going to produce.”
This season, Martinez has proven to be one of the Tigers’ most potent offensive weapons. He entered Thursday’s game with a .332 batting average that ranked fifth in the majors. His number only got better (.338) after the club’s romp against the reigning World Series champs.
“I can’t say enough about Vic, man. He’s one of the best players in the game. He’s smart and he takes his job very seriously. He studies between every at-bat, he studies even when he’s not hitting,” Verlander said. “Obviously you can see what he can do when he feels healthy.”