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Victor Martinez will finish among Venezuelan greats, but visit to native country is impossible

DETROIT -- No one has been more excited about Victor Martinez's impending retirement than his 5-year-old daughter.

"She's been counting down my games," Martinez said. "She's really excited that Daddy is going to be able to watch her dance and do all that stuff at home."

When the Detroit Tigers regular season ends on Sunday, Martinez will go back home. But home is now Orlando, Fla., where his family has lived for several years, and Victoria Ranch, his working cattle ranch about 100 miles south.

One of the greatest Venezuelan hitters in baseball history hasn't been to his native native country in three years and doesn't currently consider it safe even to visit.