Billy Martin
| Birthdate | 05/16/1928 |
| Death Date | 12/25/1989 |
| Debut Year | 1950 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Athletics, Braves, Indians, Rangers, Reds, Tigers, Twins, Yankees |
| Positions | Manager, Second Base, Shortstop, Third Base |
When his #1 was retired by the Yanks Billy Martin said, “I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I am the proudest.”
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A clash between Yankee GM George Weiss and Billy Martin led to Martin's departure from NY
A clash between Yankee GM George Weiss and Billy Martin led to Martin's departure from NY
In the collection is the document that sent Billy Martin to Triple-A after just six big league games. It signed by Hall of Fame executive George Weiss and comes with quite a story.
Martin was one of Casey Stengel’s favorites, having played for Stengel with the Oakland Oaks from 1947 and 1948. When Stengel was brought on to manage the Yanks, he had New York acquire the gritty Martin. Yankee GM George Weiss never liked the second baseman, preferring instead players who came up through the Yankee organization.
After making his debut on April 18, 1950, Martin played six more games before George Weiss decided to send him to the minor leagues the day after Martin’s 22nd birthday. Stengel called the young Martin into his office to tell him the news. Martin figured he would play hard and work his way back to the big leagues.
Stengel however was angry that Weiss sent down one of his favorite players and told Martin this was a case of Weiss’ personal feelings getting in the way of the betterment of the team.
Martin went into Weiss’ office and had a heated exchange. Weiss was shocked at the tone and lack of respect from the 22-year old. This incident cemented the ill feelings between the two. Despite his popularity among Yankee players, Martin was traded away after his lone All Star season of 1956.
Billy Martin hit .500 in the 1953 World Series and was named the Most Valuable Player
Billy Martin hit .500 in the 1953 World Series and was named the Most Valuable Player
Best known as a manger, Billy Martin was also an All Star second baseman who earned four rings as a player.
His breakout season came in 1953, his fourth year in the bigs. One of his seven seasons with at least 100 games, the campaign featured a career-high 149 contests for the second baseman.
Martin’s 151 hits, 24 doubles, 6 triples, 15 homers, and 75 RBI in ’53 were never exceeded in his 11-year MLB career. His performance helped the Yankees reach the World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The meeting between the two teams from the Big Apple was their fourth in the previous seven Fall Classics. Martin was the star in the six-game tilt.
The infielder had 12 hits in 24 at bats, including a double, two triples, and two homers. Billy tallied 8 RBI, a .958 slugging percentage, and a 1.478 OPS.
The Yankees won the Series for the fifth straight time, the longest run of consecutive titles in baseball history. For his part, Martin was named the World Series MVP.
Shown here is a government postcard from that 1953 season signed by Martin. See the next image for detailed information about when he signed it.
Martin dropped this in the mail less than 24 hours before he had career-high 5 RBI
Martin dropped this in the mail less than 24 hours before he had career-high 5 RBI
The image above shows the reverse of the card signed by Billy Martin. Notice the New York postmark from August 11, 1953 at 11:00pm.
Less than 24 hours later the Yankees hammered Bucky Harris’ Washington Senators 22-1. Martin and Yankee catcher Yogi Berra combined for ten runs batted in.
In the second inning the infielder slammed a two-run triple over the head of Senators centerfielder Jim Busby. He followed that up with two-out single in the 7th that plated two more. Billy capped his night with another single to center that drove in his team’s 18th run of the game.
His five runs batted in established a career high. Though he matched the total in 1958, Billy never drove in more in a single game.
Vintage signatures from Martin’s playing career remain highly sought after. This one is from just before his career game in the season he was World Series MVP.
As a fiery manager Bill Martin knew how to win; his temper helped wear out his welcome
As a fiery manager Bill Martin knew how to win; his temper helped wear out his welcome
Billy Martin enjoyed an 11-year big league playing career that included five trips to the World Series and four rings. Immediately after retiring in 1961, Martin took a job scouting for the Twins. He remained in the Minnesota organization in various roles until getting the manager’s job after the 1968 season.
His Twins won the Western Division by 9 games over Oakland. However, his combustible nature and heavy drinking made him more trouble than he was worth. Twins owner Calvin Griffith fired him after the season.
After sitting out the 1970 season, his first outside of baseball since 1946, Martin took the reins of the Tigers in 1971. He led Detroit to a 91-71 record, a 12-game improvement over the year before. In 1972 he led the Tigers to the ALCS where the eventual champions Oakland Athletics beat them in 5 games.
The following season Martin publicly criticized Detroit GM Jim Campbell for not retooling the Tiger roster. His behavior drew the ire of Detroit owner John Fetzer who fired him in early September.
Billy’s next stop was in Texas. The Rangers averaged more than 100 losses from 1971-1973. In Martin’s first full season he took a team that lost 105 the season before and turned them into a winning club. The Rangers finished 84-76, a 27-game improvement. Martin was named Manager of the Year.
The team regressed in ’74 and ownership became less willing to put up with Billy’s antics. On July 20th with his team 41-55, Martin was fired.
Two weeks later Yankee owner George Steinbrenner hired Martin. The Boss would hire and fire Billy five times during their association. Overall Martin’s Yankees went 556-383 in his 8 seasons as the manager. They won two pennants and gave him his only ring as a skipper.
Billy’s only other managerial job came in Oakland in from 1980-1982. His experience with the A’s was predictable – initial success made his drinking and tirades palatable, but in the end he self-destructed. Billy’s aggressive style and unwillingness to back down was at once his greatest attribute and his downfall.
Billy Martin’s enthusiasm for the game can be seen in this handwritten letter written sometime after his firing in 1978. Martin writes to a fan who’s having trouble learning a foreign language. “Seems like you enjoy Latin as much as I like sitting out next year! I can’t wait for 1980.”
After leading the team to consecutive AL pennants and the 1977 World Series championship, Martin was fired 94 games into the 1978 season. Bob Lemon replaced Martin and led them to their second straight title. Martin wrote the letter between his firing in 1978 and his hiring midway through the 1979 season.
