May 5, 2006 – Russell Martin makes MLB debut

May 5, 2026

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

It was 20 years ago today that Russell Martin made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Montreal native had been called up from triple-A Las Vegas after Dodgers catcher Dioner Navarro suffered a deep bone bruise on his right wrist from a foul ball off the bat off Colorado Rockies slugger Vinny Castilla the night before and had been placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Dodgers’ top catching prospect

Selected by the Dodgers in the 17th round in the 2002 MLB draft, Martin had cemented himself as the club’s top catching prospect with a breakout season in double-A Jacksonville in 2005 in which he batted .311 and had a .430 on-base percentage (OBP) and belted nine home runs in 129 games.

The Dodgers had initially hoped Martin would spend much of the 2006 season in triple-A honing his skills, but with Navarro sidelined and soon-to-be 40-year-old Sandy Alomar Jr. as their other big league catcher, they had little choice but to call up Martin.

For his part, Martin had excelled in triple-A, hitting .297 and posting a .389 OBP in 29 games while throwing out 46 per cent of baserunners trying to steal off him. And the Dodgers were desperate for a spark. Despite having a veteran squad with high expectations, the Dodgers had stumbled to a 12-17 record. So manager Grady Little told reporters that if Martin performed well, the young catcher might remain in the big leagues even after Navarro returned.

“It all depends on how the kid’s doing,” Little told the Los Angeles Times of the club’s plans for Martin. “If he comes up here and sets the world on fire, the position we’re in right now, we might look at something different. Anything’s a possibility.”

And Martin did “set the world on fire.”

Two hits in MLB debut

In his major league debut 20 years ago today – a Friday night contest at Dodger Stadium against the Milwaukee Brewers – Martin batted eighth and caught former 20-game winner Derek Lowe. The young Canuck went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and made a pivotal play at the plate in the eighth inning and the Dodgers eventually won 4-3.

Firsts in Martin’s MLB career

Here are a few major league firsts for Martin from that contest:

1st MLB at bat – Ground out to third base against Brewers lefty Chris Capuano in the second inning.

1st MLB hit and RBI – A double to right field off Capuano in the fourth inning that scored Dodgers outfielder Jason Repko and third baseman Ramon Martinez to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.

1st MLB single – A grounder up the middle off Capuano in the sixth inning.

1st MLB play at the plate – Martin would tag out fellow Canuck Corey Koskie (Anola, Man.) who was attempting to score on a fly ball to centre field hit by Brady Clark with one out in the top of the eighth inning with the game tied 3-3. Repko recorded the outfield assist.

Sparked Dodgers

After his impressive debut, the Dodgers kept starting him behind the dish in Navarro’s absence. The previously slumping Dodgers won the first five games Martin started and in his first seven games with the club, he batted .300 with a .462 OBP.

By mid-May, the Dodgers were 8-2 in the 10 games Martin had started.

“I’ve worked hard to get here, and I feel comfortable,” Martin told the Los Angeles Times for their May 17, 2006 edition. “I don’t feel overmatched at all.”

By the time Navarro was activated from the disabled list, Martin had a stranglehold on the starting catching job. The Canuck backstop went on to bat .282 with 10 home runs and a .355 OBP in 121 games and finish ninth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Evolves into All-Star

Over his next four seasons with the Dodgers, Martin developed into an All-Star, a Gold Glove Award recipient and a Silver Slugger Award winner. He also captured the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award in 2007 as the top Canuck player.

In all, Martin played 14 big league seasons. His career also included stops with the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays, before he returned the Dodgers in a backup role in 2019. In 10 of those campaigns, his team advanced to the post-season.

Martin ranks in the top 10 among Canadians in most major league statistical categories, including first in dWAR (16.5), third in WAR (38.8), and sixth in hits (1,416). He also holds Canadian major league postseason records in games (58) and hits (38).

For his efforts he was inducted into the the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.

From the stage at the induction ceremony, emcee Rod Black praised Martin as the greatest all-around Canadian catcher in MLB history. Few would dispute that assertion.

And Martin’s journey to that vaunted status began 20 years ago today.