September 14 is a good day for an anniversary. On this date in 1976, Dennis Martinez earned the win in his major league debut with 5.2 shutout innings of four-hit, five-strikeout relief in a 9-7 victory over the Tigers. He bailed the Birds out after Ross Grimsley and Dave Pagan combined to cough up seven runs in three and one-third innings, stranding a pair of inherited runners. By the time he entered, the O's had already come most of the way back from an early 6-0 deficit, thanks in large part to a Doug DeCinces three-run homer, but he arrested Detroit's momentum and kept the score tight until the offense broke through with a four-run burst in the bottom of the seventh.
Dennis Martinez, 1981 Donruss #533
