Marty Barrett (second baseman)

For the 19th-century baseball catcher, see Marty Barrett (catcher).

Marty Barrett
Second baseman
Born: June 23, 1958 (1958-06-23) (age 53) Arcadia, California
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 6, 1982 for the Boston Red Sox
Last MLB appearance
May 7, 1991 for the San Diego Padres
Career statistics
Batting average	.278
Hits	938
Runs batted in	314
Teams
Boston Red Sox (1982–1990) San Diego Padres (1991)
Career highlights and awards
1986 ALCS MVP

Martin Glenn Barrett (born June 23, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played with the Boston Red Sox (1982–90) and San Diego Padres (1991). He batted and threw right-handed.

Early life and minor league career

Barrett was born in Arcadia, California. He is an alumnus of Arizona State University, and is the brother of Tommy Barrett, another former MLB player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Marty played in the longest professional baseball game in history in 1981, a minor league game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings. Barrett had the distinction of scoring the winning run for Pawtucket in the bottom of the 33rd inning.

Major League career

An excellent second baseman with an above-average arm, Barrett was known as a smart player and a great contact hitter, striking out only 209 times in 3378 at-bats, and collecting a significant number of big hits by driving tough pitches to the opposite field. He was used often as a specialist in bunting situations, leading the American League in sacrifice hits for three consecutive years (1986–88).

In a ten-year career, Barrett was a .278 hitter with 18 home runs and 314 RBI in 941 games. Barrett successfully pulled off the hidden ball trick three times, including twice in July, 1985.

In 1981, Barrett scored the winning run in the longest game in professional baseball history, as a player for the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Class AAA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Barrett was driven in by Dave Koza in the 33rd inning.

In 1984, Barrett batted a career-high .303 in his first full season, but his most productive year was 1986, when he posted career-highs in RBI (60), hits (179), doubles (39), triples (4), stolen bases (15) and games played (158).

Barrett starred in 1986, when he set a major league record with 24 hits in 14 postseason games and was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player.

In the 1986 World Series, Barrett had 13 hits in 30 at bats (.433 BA), and posted an on-base percentage of .514 against the New York Mets. Near the conclusion of Game 6, he had been selected by the NBC Television broadcast team as the Player of the Game. He was the final batter in the 1986 World Series, striking out against Mets closer Jesse Orosco.

Barrett held the starting second baseman position with the Red Sox for most of the 1980s. On June 4, 1989, he suffered a serious knee injury while tripping over first base following a ground out.^[1] Jody Reed took over as the starter; Barrett only played sporadically following his recovery and was released the following season. Barrett signed with the San Diego Padres in 1991. In his National League debut he was called upon as a pinch hitter to face San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Dave Righetti with two outs in the ninth inning. Barrett, not known for his power stroke, deposited the ball into the left field stands. 1991 would be Barrett's last professional season.

In 1995, Barrett won $1.7 million in a malpractice suit against Red Sox team physician and part-owner Arthur Pappas. Barrett claimed that Pappas had misdiagnosed a knee injury and performed medical procedures without his consent, and that the botched treatment brought his career to a premature end. He also claimed that Pappas' dual roles as owner and team physician constituted a conflict of interest.

References

1. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASEBALL; Barrett Sues Red Sox". New York Times. May 30, 1992. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/30/sports/sports-people-baseball-barrett-sues-red-sox.html?pagewanted=print. 

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• MLB historical statistics

Preceded by George Brett

American League Championship Series MVP 1986

Succeeded by Gary Gaetti

Persondata
Name	Barrett, Marty
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 23, 1958
Place of birth	Arcadia, California
Date of death
Place of death