COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Edgar Martinez batted cleanup one last time on Sunday, and delivered another in a long line of clutch performances.
But before he gave his heartfelt, poignant speech — as the fourth of six players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on this sweltering afternoon — Martinez faced an unexpected challenge.
Handed the plaque emblazoned with his name, the one that as of Monday will hang for perpetuity in the Hall of Fame museum, Martinez was taken aback by its literal heft. The figurative weightiness of joining baseball most exclusive club was something he had begun to slowly process starting six months ago when he got the call that he had finally — after 10 long years of waiting — been elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.