Antonacci: Family shares in Martin's Canadian ball hall honour
Russell Martin, left, pulls his uncle James in for a hug while his uncles Richard, centre, and Keith, right, and cousin Erika Martin, far right, look on. Photo: J.P. Antonacci
June 18, 2024
By J.P. Antonacci
Canadian Baseball Network
Before he sent baseballs over the wall at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, Russell Martin blasted long drives over his uncles’ heads at a Montreal sandlot.
“My brother got to pitch, and I had to play the outfield. So, I was always the one chasing the ball, because he was always hitting it over the fence,” Keith Martin recalled with a smile.
“So, I had to go run after it, which I didn’t really like.”
The Canadian catcher has a large extended family on his father’s side, but his first cousin, Erika Martin, said Russell is the only star athlete in the bunch, making him a top draft pick in the family’s annual Thanksgiving ballgames.
“Unfortunately, those skills don’t run in the family,” Erika Martin laughed. “We enjoy watching, but we don’t play.”
Russell Martin’s extended family made the drive from Montreal to see him enshrined in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont. Photo: J.P. Antonacci
Three of Martin’s uncles and their families drove from Montreal to St. Marys, Ont., to see Russell inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 15.
“It’s fantastic,” Keith Martin said of the museum, which the family toured the day before the ceremony.
“Really, really fun,” added Erika.
It was the latest baseball-related road trip for a family that stayed close with Russell Martin throughout his playing career.
“We followed him around quite a lot,” Richard Martin said, as the family reminisced about Russell hosting them at ballparks in Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago and many more.
“Just really fun,” Erika said of watching her cousin become one of the most accomplished Canadian big leaguers of all time while keeping his sense of humour and perspective intact.
“He’s so down to earth. A humble guy,” Erika Martin said. “He’s just an overall great guy.”
The Martins offered Russell plenty of words of wisdom to keep him grounded.
“He got it from all sides, from everybody,” Richard Martin said, smiling.
But as far as baseball went, the family left the coaching to the professionals.
“Kudos to (former Dodgers coach) Steve Yeager for realizing he’d ultimately be a catcher,” Keith Martin said.
“He had the build for it, first of all,” Richard said of his nephew’s prowess behind the plate.
“And never backing down from a challenge. Always ready to go 110 per cent, all the time.”
Being related to one of the most beloved Blue Jays in recent memory makes for an easy icebreaker when Erika Martin runs into Blue Jays fans across Canada and around the world.
“They’re wearing a jersey, so you strike up a conversation, and then it naturally comes up,” she said.
While recently traveling between Toronto and Montreal, the Martins met a couple at the airport whose son worked at the hall of fame in St. Marys last summer.
“Sometimes the world’s quite small in that sense,” Erika said.
Russell Martin, centre, shakes hands with his uncle James, left, while his uncles Richard, second from left, and Keith, second from right, and cousin Erika Martin, far right, wait to greet him. Photo: John Antonacci
Russell Martin was all smiles upon seeing his extended family before the ceremony, throwing open his arms for hugs all around.
“Just when you think the day can’t be more special, you have family there to support you. It’s so important,” Martin told Canadian Baseball Network.
“This is my dad’s side, and my dad played a crucial role in my upbringing. It’s a huge family. A lot of siblings. It brings back memories of summer barbecues, just hanging out,” he said.
“Life is all about sharing. Because whatever you go through, it’s only as fun as the people you can celebrate it with. And who better to celebrate than with family? I’m just so happy they could make it out.”