NEW YORK -- Before Saturday's game against the Orioles, the Yankees unveiled a plaque for former first baseman Tino Martinez that will join center field's Monument Park.
Martinez was acquired from Seattle prior to the 1996 season and went on to play seven seasons for New York, leading the team to four World Series victories. He hit .276 with 192 home runs and 739 RBIs in his Yankees career.
"He had some really big shoes to fill," said manager Joe Girardi, one of his teammates in the late 1990s. "[Don Mattingly], rightfully so, was a fan favorite and great New York Yankee. Awesome first baseman, and Tino had to kind of earn his stripes and he did it fairly quickly. He did a really good job in handling that situation." 
Anticipating the ceremony, the Yankees scoreboard played highlights from Game 1 of the 1998 World Series, when Martinez launched a go-ahead grand slam off Mark Langston, one of his signature Yankees moments."Tino brought a real edge to the game and had high expectations," Girardi said. "I actually remember there was one day, him and [Paul] O'Neill, I was kind of in between their lockers, and they were arguing. Paul was jealous of the home runs Tino was hitting, Tino was jealous of the average that Paul had, and I'm thinking, 'Shut up. I don't need to hear this. Here I'm fighting every day to hit .260, .270. One of you has got 25 home runs, the other guy's hitting .325, I don't need to hear this. I don't feel bad for either one of you.' That's how they were."Jake Kring-Schreifels and Jamal Collier / MLB.com
Anticipating the ceremony, the Yankees scoreboard played highlights from Game 1 of the 1998 World Series, when Martinez launched a go-ahead grand slam off Mark Langston, one of his signature Yankees moments."Tino brought a real edge to the game and had high expectations," Girardi said. "I actually remember there was one day, him and [Paul] O'Neill, I was kind of in between their lockers, and they were arguing. Paul was jealous of the home runs Tino was hitting, Tino was jealous of the average that Paul had, and I'm thinking, 'Shut up. I don't need to hear this. Here I'm fighting every day to hit .260, .270. One of you has got 25 home runs, the other guy's hitting .325, I don't need to hear this. I don't feel bad for either one of you.' That's how they were."Jake Kring-Schreifels and Jamal Collier / MLB.com
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