Former Dodgers Reliever Credits Dave Roberts, Pitching in LA For Saving Career

At 37, most pitchers are past their prime. Not Chris Martin.

The Red Sox reliever hasn't allowed a run in 14 straight appearances. On the season, the reliever holds a 1.05 ERA — the lowest among pitchers with at least 30 innings recorded this season.

Martin wasn't always dominant from the mound. He began the 2022 season in Chicago and allowed 15 runs in 40 innings pitched before being traded to the Dodgers.

It is in Los Angeles, Martin said, that he was able to turn his career around.

Abandoning his slider proved to be an effective first step toward regaining his confidence on the mound.

“It's the one pitch that I would leave in the middle of the zone too much,” Martin said. “When it got hit, it would get hit for damage. It was never just a single. Or if it was a single, it was an 0-2 hanging breaking ball.”

(Via Ian Browne, MLB.com)

Martin spoke about a conversation with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts that allowed him to change the way he approached the strike zone.

“I remember Dave Roberts saying, ‘Hey, keep doing what you’re doing, we’ll catch the ball.’ I think that first game, I gave up a pretty hard-hit ball in the gap, and Cody Bellinger kind of floated underneath it,” Martin said. “I was like, ‘OK.’ That gave me more confidence to just to pound the strike zone, which is what I'm going to do anyways. And I think that was a big part of why I did so well over there.”

(Via Ian Browne, MLB.com)

As Roberts' name is among those discussed as the Manager of the Year, looking at Martin's case is a good example of just how effective Roberts has been in reviving older players' careers.