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Russell Martin, the historic relief pitcher

Russell Martin polka-dotted his name on the record books in 2019, but not for the reasons you would expect.

The former Dodgers catcher, who has appeared in four All-Star games, and won both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards in 2007, proved he could also pitch last season.

It all started in a March game against the Diamondbacks, when both teams decided to use positional players on the mound after their respective bullpens were worn out from a 13-inning affair the previous night. The Dodgers had an 18-5 lead, so following in Arizona manager Torey Lovullo‘s footsteps of using catcher John Ryan Murphy to pitch the 7th, David Roberts called on Martin to close out the game in the 9th.