One of the best signings of the offseason belongs to the Tampa Bay Rays—a small-market team that rarely spends big. Signing Cuban-American right-hander Nick Martínez to a one-year, $13 million contract has proven to be one of their best decisions. Now, Martínez will take the mound for Game 1 of the World Series.
During the regular season, Martínez made 31 starts, posting a 3.10 ERA, a 3.96 FIP, 5.45 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.30 walks per nine innings across 180 innings. This postseason, the right-hander has made two starts and owns a 3.00 ERA.
Choosing Martínez to start the World Series opener may come as a surprise, but it allows the Rays to give Drew Rasmussen an additional day of rest after his heavy workload. Although Martínez has seen limited action this postseason, he brings considerable experience, having appeared in eight playoff games before 2026.
I love that you brought your glove to the press conference. What a moment for you, starting Game 1 of the World Series as part of the same rotation as pitchers you respect so much, like Drew and Freddy. What does the team’s trust and confidence in you mean?
It’s exciting. I think, as a team and as a pitching staff, we have confidence in whoever takes the mound. This time it’s my turn, and my job is to get as many outs as possible and keep us in the game.
You’ve pitched in this ballpark and against this team several times during your time with the Reds. Does that experience help? How does it prepare you for tomorrow? Obviously, this is a completely different situation.
I suppose it helps to know beforehand that they have a pretty relentless lineup. They don’t waste a pitch. They battle every pitch. It’s going to be a very intense battle.
How and when were you told that you would start Game 1, and what was your initial reaction?
Nick Martínez: Yeah, they told me, “You’ve got Game 1.”
Today?
Yeah, today. And I’m ready to go out and compete. I threw a bullpen session yesterday to prepare for this. Yeah, I’m ready.
You signed with this team pretty late in the offseason, very close to the start of Spring Training. Can you talk about your journey from that point to becoming the Game 1 starter in the World Series?
It was a pretty slow offseason. Tampa reached out to me. They were one of the organizations on my list that I really wanted to play for. So when they called, we jumped at the opportunity.
I’m sure you all remember that my Spring Training wasn’t very good. And now we’re here. Again, I think that says a lot about the people around me who helped me navigate this season and get to this point. We’re having a lot of fun with all of this.
Obviously, you also have considerable experience in Japan, where you pitched in the postseason. Looking back, do you feel that all of that experience in Japan is helping you now?
Yeah, absolutely. My first experience with postseason baseball came during my first year in Japan. I was at a stage in my career when I was still figuring out who I was as a pitcher and refining my craft. I feel like that was a very important step toward getting to where I am now.
I went from pitching in the playoffs during my first year in Japan to participating in the Olympics, facing Korea and then Japan in the gold medal game. Then I returned to the United States in 2022 and reached the National League Championship Series with the Padres. Last year, I got a little more of that experience with Cincinnati, and now we’re in the World Series.
I feel like each of those experiences has been an important step toward getting us to where we are today.
What was your perception of how the Rays operate before you decided to join the team? What has stood out the most, and what separates them from the other organizations you’ve been with?
This team and this organization have a great reputation for getting the best out of their players. They do that by being transparent and communicating well. They communicate what they expect from their players and show them the path to reaching that level and staying at their best. They do an excellent job of that.
As players, that gives us a lot of confidence to go out, compete aggressively and play freely, knowing that I have a team supporting me—not just on the field, but behind the scenes, too. I know they can help me get back to what makes us successful, and it all comes down to communication.
This might be a similar question, because you mentioned that the Rays were on your list of teams you were interested in. Even before they contacted you, what made this organization appealing? And specifically, what do you think this organization has helped you develop or discover in your game this season?
It’s pretty similar. They have that reputation for getting the most out of their players, and they do it through communication and by providing the resources you need to stay at your best. When they contacted me, I already knew all of that, and I knew joining this team would be exciting.
Being from Miami and staying close to home was another reason they were on my list. I have three daughters, and two of them are in school, so I usually have to wait until school ends to see them. I spend quite a bit of time away from them. Playing in Tampa, I can see them every weekend, even while they’re in school, and then they spend the summer with me. That gives me a lot of peace of mind.
There’s also Cash and his reputation. Cash manages to win games, keeps the atmosphere relaxed and is a really fun manager to play for. Snyd is one of the best pitching coaches in baseball, if not the best. Knowing he could help me take my game to another level was important, and obviously, they’ve done that.
Again, it’s all been about being aggressive, challenging hitters in the strike zone and trusting your catcher and the defense behind you.
Can you talk about the acquisition of Liam midway through the season? You work directly with him. What has he brought to the team? Your manager mentioned that it isn’t easy for a catcher to arrive midseason and begin working with the pitchers. What has he contributed, and how has he helped you specifically?
He’s been incredible for us. It feels like he’s been with the team all season. He arrived midway through the year, and it also helped that he had played with No. 40 in Miami. No. 40 helped him tremendously on a personal level, especially with getting to know the pitching staff, understanding what we like to do, how we make adjustments and how we think.
He deserves credit for diving right in and working so hard to get on the same page with us so quickly.
The Brewers make a lot of contact and use their speed to put pressure on the defense. How does your approach change when you face a team like that?
They’re a team you can’t underestimate. You can’t give them too many opportunities. You have to be aggressive in the strike zone and trust your defense. Trust that they can make the plays and keep runners off base. The more pitches they see and the longer their at-bats go, the greater their advantage.
Again, they’re a team that doesn’t waste a pitch. They’re always battling every pitch. They never give up. It’s going to be a very intense battle. That’s why you have to keep attacking the strike zone and trusting the players behind you.
