SEATTLE -- Edgar Martinez fell just short of induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, but if history holds true, the former Mariners standout now stands in strong position to earn the call to Cooperstown next January in his final year on the ballot.
Martinez, who is about to begin his third year as hitting coach for the only team he played for in his 18-year career, was named on 70.4 percent of the 422 ballots cast by Baseball Writers' Association of America voters, as announced Wednesday.
While four of his peers -- Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman -- garnered the necessary 75 percent for induction into baseball's most prestigious club, Martinez wound up just on the outside in his ninth year of eligibility.