Catcher Russell Martin took the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second time this season and pitched a scoreless eighth inning — with one strikeout — in an 8-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Martin came in with the visiting Dodgers trailing 8-2.
“I felt like six runs was just … you know, we’re still in striking distance, so I was going to make them earn it,” Martin said. “I gave them my best stuff.”
Martin hit 90 mph on the radar gun. When asked by reporters if he knew he could throw that hard, Martin said, “Did I know? Um, I think I can squeeze an extra another mile or two if I really need it. I think I’ve been clocked throwing to second base 87, 88. So I figured that I could probably touch 90.”
Martin, 36, pitched a scoreless ninth against Arizona in an 18-5 rout at Dodger Stadium on March 30, needing only 10 pitches to close out the Diamondbacks.
He estimated then that it had been nearly 20 years since he’d most recently pitched.