Victor Martinez has long been known for his hitting prowess, making five All-Star teams and hitting .300 or better for three different teams. On the Friday just before the break, Martinez reached a milestone when he collected the 2,000th hit of his career with a single against the Cleveland Indians – for whom he’d previously collected exactly 900 hits.
It’s an impressive and notable milestone and one Martinez should be proud of, but it comes with one peculiarity. Martinez’s career has featured 233 home runs, 397 doubles, three triples, and just one hit on the road to 2,000 that was unlike any other he had in his career:
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Yep. That was Martinez’s first career bunt hit in 1,757 games played.
No one saw a bunt single against the shift coming, so credit Martinez for keeping that in his back pocket for 15 seasons and only unleashing it at quite an opportune moment on his way to baseball history.