Dave Martinez got an early introduction to baseball from his father, who was born in Puerto Rico and then moved to New York City with his family.
Martinez, 53, the first-year Nationals manager, saw his first Major League game at old Yankee Stadium as a young boy.
“I can remember Oscar Gamble and Bobby Murcer, and all those guys,” recalls Martinez, naming two former outfielders who both played with the Yankees in the 1970s and 1980s.
Martinez returns to New York for the first time as a manager at any level when the Nationals begin a three-game series Monday night against the red-hot Mets.