Blue Jays Legendary Broadcaster Buck Martinez Announces Retirement
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Toronto Blue Jays fans are going to be viewing games a little bit differently this season.
Legendary Sportsnet Blue Jays color commentator Buck Martinez has announced on Friday that he is going to be retiring from the booth at the age of 77 in order to spend more time with family and enjoy his remaining years.
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"It has been a fantastic journey with Sportsnet, the Blue Jays and the wonderful Blue Jays fans all over the world," Martinez said in a statement release. "Thank you all for embracing me and welcoming my family and me in a way that has made us feel like we are part of yours. I will dearly miss my working partners, the leadership at Rogers, and the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club, all of whom made it so much fun to be at the ballpark talking about the game I’ve loved for my whole life."
It was a very special run for Martinez with the organization, and one to which fans in Toronto are going to cherish for a very long time.
Martinez Had Legendary Run with Blue Jays Organization
The former big league catcher spent the final six years of his playing career with the team after arriving via a trade in 1981, and instantly after retiring in 1986 joined the team's broadcasting crew starting with the 1987 season.
He was fired as the team's manager in 2000 and after a brief two-year stint would eventually return to Toronto's broadcasting booth in 2010 when he arrived at Sportsnet. His career calling games nearly had the perfect ending, and his final one called will have been Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.
“Buck Martinez is a legend in baseball,” Sportsnet president Greg Sansone said in the statement. “His voice is synonymous with summer, and his passion for the sport and dedication to his craft are unrivaled. It has been the highest honour for all of us who have had the pleasure to work with him.”
Prominent Blue Jays Figures Pay Tribute to Martinez
"Buck has been one of the most prominent figures in the history of the Toronto Blue Jays, dedicating decades to the game he loves and to this organization as a player, manager, and broadcaster,” said team President & CEO Mark Shapiro. “Buck has connected generations of fans with his passion, insight, and unparalleled storytelling. His legacy extends far beyond the microphone, and he will always hold a special place in the hearts of Canadian baseball fans."
"From the first day I worked with Buck way back in 1995 right through Game 7 of the World Series, I couldn’t have asked for a better broadcast partner. No one worked harder, no one cared more,” play-by-play partner Dan Shulman said. “He’s one of the most significant figures in Blue Jays history, and someone who has meant the world to everyone he worked with at Sportsnet, both as a colleague, and even more importantly, as a great friend."
Toronto wishes Martinez the best in his next stage of life, but he will certainly be dearly missed.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.