Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez announces cancer diagnosis
Buck Martinez, longtime Blue Jays broadcaster and former player and manager, is stepping away from the booth after Sunday's game against the Oakland Athletics to start treatment following a cancer diagnosis.
Martinez, 73, made the announcement on social media Sunday morning, and addressed the news briefly before first pitch.
I came here in 1981, thought I would be here for a year or two and here were are, it's 2022 ... We're all confident, and we feel very confident we'll be back here for the pennant race," Martinez said on Sportsnet. So let's play some baseball and have a good rest of the summer, folks."
Earlier, in a statement, he said he was grateful for a tremendous" medical team that has given him great optimism that I will come through this with flying colours," and the support of Jays fans, colleagues, staff and players. In the meantime, I will be watching from the sidelines as I fight the good fight."
Martinez played 17 seasons in the big leagues as a catcher, debuting with the Kansas City Royals in 1969. He spent eight seasons with the Royals before three with the Milwaukee Brewers, then landed in Toronto ahead of the 1981 season. He finished his career as a Jay after the 1986 season and started a career as a colour commentator the next year, which led to roles with TSN and ESPN.
After years of analyzing the team's performance on television, Martinez was hired as Jays manager in November 2000. They went 100-115 before he was fired in June 2002, replaced by third-base coach Carlos Tosca.
The native of Redding, Calif. spent the next seven seasons calling Baltimore Orioles games before returning to Toronto and joining Sportsnet in 2010. He has been working Jays games regularly since then, alongside former Jay Pat Tabler and more recently Dan Shulman.
You are as tough as they come, you are as beloved as they come. We know you're going to beat this. We know you're going to be back with us soon," Shulman said on Sunday's broadcast, calling Martinez a huge part of the Jays and the community. Everybody, please keep Buck in your prayers."
In a statement, Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro called Martinez a dear member of our Blue Jays family and a fixture in the Canadian baseball community. As he steps away from the broadcast booth to receive treatment, we have no doubt Buck will face the road ahead with courage, determination, and his signature positivity."
Blue Jays Central" broadcasters Jamie Campbell and Joe Siddall fought back tears and struggled to speak as they paid tribute to Martinez before Sunday's game.
Campbell announced on social media last month that he's battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and blood that has no known cure. Siddall's son Kevin died after a six-month battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 14 years old in 2014.
Buck is like family to all of us here, as he actually may be to you based on how many times you hear his voice, so this hits very hard ... He's almost like my baseball father," Campbell said.
Siddall said his thoughts are with Martinez while he receives effective treatment ... We can't wait to get him back where we love him, at a ballpark."
Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy