Pressure is a Privilege

There is a strong argument for the 27^th out in baseball being the most difficult to record. It is subjective, as any out in a ballgame could turn out to be the most difficult to earn by the end of the contest. Several factors could be in play to make one out more difficult than another, but when a pitcher is searching for No. 27, the stakes are higher as the batter at the plate could be the final out of the game.

Jacksonville pitcher Seth Martinez has been a frequent face out of the bullpen this season. Martinez has been pitching late in games almost the entirety of the 2025 campaign for the Jumbo Shrimp. He has also found himself coming out of the pen in the later innings at the major league level as well over his career. Over 60 percent of his big-league work has occurred in the seventh inning or later and in his career. The Arizona native has faced more hitters in the eighth inning than any other inning.

It is safe to say that Martinez has faced some pressure in his outings, especially when he pitched in the majors for the Houston Astros. Every outing for the right hander at the big-league level occurred with the Astros between 2021 and 2024. The Astros made two World Series appearances during this time and Martinez helped them win the Fall Classic in 2022.

One of his teammates during his tenure with the Astros was Ryan Pressly, a veteran right-handed pitcher with over 100 saves between three different teams. Pressly, who secured the 27^th out in Game 6 of the 2022 World Series, acted as a mentor to Martinez and others, giving advice on how to navigate stressful appearances in the pursuit of winning a championship. Martinez, because of Pressly’s wisdom, now views high pressure situations as a privilege and that it is still okay to be nervous.

“When you're set in certain situations that have a lot riding on it, Ryan Pressly would always say, ‘It's a privilege to have this pressure,’” said Martinez. “You're not supposed to be super comfortable in those situations. Yes, you can be scared of failure. But, I think the way he (Ryan Pressly) would combat that is he would just face the fear head-on. So, I think that's one big thing that I learned was it's normal to be a little nervous or thinking about the worst possible situations.”

The man responsible for putting Martinez in those situations for the majority of his big-league career was Dusty Baker, a three-time Manager of the Year and one of just 13 skippers to surpass 2,000 career MLB wins.

Baker is known for being a character and he was also a successful player before transitioning to manager. He valued the importance of getting to know his players individually. Baker also understood that his players should have a relationship with each other both on and off the field. He would often invite his players on trips and out for dinner. Martinez was one of the many players invited to join.

“I think the coolest thing about him was just the things he would do off the field, like, Spring Training, he'd take a bunch of the guys fishing out in Florida,” said Martinez. “We'd have little hangouts during Spring Training at one of the players houses and Dusty would come out and just talk and hang out with the guys and crack jokes and tell stories.”

These activities helped the Houston coaches and players build trust with Martinez, another reason as to why he finds himself in pressure situations. His change in approach and strong relationships were major reasons as to why Martinez won a World Series ring in 2022.

While he is no longer with Houston and Dusty Baker is no longer his manager, Martinez still values the advice and relationships from his Astro years. His success has transferred over as Jacksonville manager David Carpenter continues to pitch Martinez in high-leverage situations. Jacksonville secured a First Half Championship in the International League, and if Martinez is called upon during the postseason, he will always remember that the pressure he feels is not a burden, but a privilege.