Marty Barrett

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marty Barrett
Second Baseman
Born: June 23, 1958 (1958-06-23) (age 49)
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 6, 1982
for the Boston Red Sox
Final game
May 7, 1991
for the San Diego Padres
Career statistics
Batting average     .278
Hits     938
RBI     314
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • 1986 ALCS MVP
  • Led A.L. in sacrifice hits from 1986-88

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.

Contents

[edit] Early life and minor league career

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 who played for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Marty played in the Longest professional baseball game in history in 1981, a minor league game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings. Barrett had the distinction of scoring the winning run for Pawtucket in the bottom of the 33rd inning.

[edit] Major League career

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.

In the 1986 World Series, Barrett had 13 hits in 30 at bats (.433 BA), and posted an on-base percentage of .514 against the New York Mets. Near the conclusion of Game 6, he had been selected by the NBC Television broadcast team as the Player of the Game. Additionally, it is believed by many that he would have been named World Series MVP, had the events of the series played out differently.

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. He would play one more year, 1991 for the San Diego Padres, before retiring from baseball.

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.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

Preceded by
George Brett
American League Championship Series MVP
1986
Succeeded by
Gary Gaetti
Languages