Marty Barrett

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Martin Glenn Barrett (born June 23, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played with the Boston Red Sox (1982-90) and San Diego Padres (1991). He batted and threw right-handed.

Barrett was born in Arcadia, California. He is an alumnus of Arizona State University, and is the brother of Tommy Barrett, another former MLB player.

An excellent second baseman with an above-average arm, Barrett was a smart player and a great contact hitter, striking out only 209 times in 3378 at-bats, and collecting a significant number of big hits by driving tough pitches to the opposite field. He was used often as a specialist in bunting situations, leading the American League in sacrifice hits for three consecutive years (1986–88).

In a 10-year career, Barrett was a .278 hitter with 18 home runs and 314 RBI in 941 games. Notably, Barrett successfully pulled off the hidden ball trick three times, including twice in July, 1985.

In 1981, Barrett was the winning run in the longest game in professional baseball history, as a player for the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Class AAA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Barrett was batted in by Dave Koza in the 33rd inning.

In 1984, Barrett batted a career-high .303 in his first full season, but his most productive year was 1986, when he posted career-highs in RBI (60), hits (179), doubles (39), triples (4), stolen bases (15) and games played (158).

Barrett starred in 1986, when he set a major league record with 24 hits in 14 postseason games and was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player.

His performance against the California Angels in the final game of the 1986 ALCS has also led many to believe that he may have indirectly influenced the breakdown, and later, suicide of relief pitcher Donnie Moore.

[edit] Injury

Barrett held the starting second baseman position with the Red Sox for most of the 1980s. On June 4, 1989, he suffered a serious knee injury while tripping over first base following a ground out. ^[1] Jody Reed took over as the starter; Barrett only played sporadically following his recovery and was released the following season.

In 1995, Barrett won $1.7 million in a malpractice suit against Red Sox team physician and part-owner Arthur Pappas. Barrett claimed that Pappas had misdiagnosed a knee injury and performed medical procedures without his consent, and that the botched treatment brought his career to a premature end. He also claimed that Pappas' dual roles as owner and team physician constituted a conflict of interest.