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Chris Martin (baseball)

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Chris Martin (baseball)

Christopher Riley Martin (born June 2, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

Martin played baseball at Arlington High School and McLennan Community College, but gave up on baseball after he suffered a shoulder injury. After working in a warehouse for three years, Martin began playing catch, and felt strong enough to try out for independent league baseball. After he pitched for the Grand Prairie AirHogs in 2010, the Boston Red Sox of MLB signed Martin in 2011. He pitched in Minor League Baseball for the Red Sox organization, until they traded him to the Rockies after the 2013 season.

Martin made his MLB debut for the Rockies in 2014, and was traded to the Yankees after the season. He signed with the Fighters after the 2015 season, and won the 2016 Japan Series with the Fighters. He signed with the Rangers after the 2017 season. The Rangers traded Martin to the Braves during the 2019 season, and he was a part of the 2021 World Series championship team.

Martin attended Arlington High School in Arlington, Texas, where he pitched for the school's baseball team. In 2004, his senior year, the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association named Martin to its Class 5A All-State team. The Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected him in the 18th round of the 2004 MLB draft, but Martin did not sign a professional contract.

Martin enrolled at McLennan Community College, where he played college baseball for the McLennan Highlanders. After his freshman year at McLennan, he received interest from the college baseball programs representing the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas at Austin. However, he did not have enough course credits to transfer.

The Colorado Rockies of MLB selected Martin in the 21st round of the 2005 MLB draft. He returned to McLennan for his sophomore season, with the Rockies following his progress while deciding whether or not to offer him a contract. Martin suffered a shoulder injury while pitching for McLennan as a sophomore, and the Rockies opted not to offer him a contract. Martin was diagnosed with a torn labrum in the shoulder of his pitching arm, and he underwent surgery to correct it.

Martin was not selected in the 2006 MLB draft. After graduating from McLennan, Martin signed with the Fort Worth Cats of the United League Baseball, which is independent of MLB, for the 2007 season. Though Martin made the team out of their tryout camp, he did not pitch in a game for the Cats due to discomfort in his shoulder. A doctor recommended Martin undergo surgery to repair the labrum and the articular capsule of the humerus. Rather than undergo surgery, Martin quit professional baseball. He went to work loading trucks for UPS at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, moving refrigerators for Lowe's, and stocking washing machines and clothes dryers in an appliance warehouse in Arlington.

Martin and Jordan Bostick, a coworker in the warehouse and a former high school baseball teammate, began playing catch in the warehouse. Martin noticed that his shoulder felt stronger, and with encouragement from Bostick, he agreed to attempt to play professional baseball again.

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