ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves are looking to take a 3-1 World Series lead on Saturday night at Truist Park, and they've turned to reliever Chris Martin to help make it happen.
The team was down 2-0 as the game reached the middle innings, following Kyle Wright's solid work after coming on in the first inning with the bases loaded and one out.
He had to work out of another jam in the fifth inning, his last in the game.
Braves manager Brian Snitker then handed things off to Martin.
First thing to know about Martin is that no, there's no relation to Coldplay's Chris Martin.
The second thing to know is that the 6-foot-8 right-hander has been with the Braves for a couple years now, after originally arriving via a trade with the Texas Rangers in the summer of 2019.
He's been a fairly reliable member of the team's bullpen in that time, making 46 appearances last year with a 3.95 ERA. He also had a great 2020 season in limited work - 1.00 ERA in 18 innings.
The 35-year-old Texas native was originally drafted out of high school way back in 2004, an 18th round selection by the Detroit Tigers. He didn't sign, and was taken the next year by the Colorado Rockies in the 21st round.
He debuted with Colorado (after actually leaving the organization and then getting traded back to the Rockies by the Red Sox in 2013) in 2014, making 16 appearances. The next year he wound up with the New York Yankees, then didn't appear in the Major Leagues for the next two years.
He resurfaced with Texas in 2018, where he's had a late-blooming career as a successful bullpen arm. While he had a 6.19 ERA in 40 appearances his first two seasons, since returning to the big leagues with Texas and Atlanta he's managed a 3.57 ERA in 169 appearances.
The Rangers dealt him to the Braves for Kolby Allard back in July 2019, and he re-signed with Atlanta as a free agent after the 2019 season.
Braves manager Brian Snitker will be hoping he can work through a few clean outs and keep the Braves within reach in Game 4.