Tippy came up with the Yankees and was traded to Baltimore in 1976 along with Scott McGregor and Rick Dempsey. The Yankees were headed to the World Series in 1976 and the Orioles were rebuilding. They made the classic veterans for young guys trade and it worked great for Baltimore. The Orioles picked up a starter, a great reliever and wonderful catcher out of that deal.
Tippy had some great seasons out of the bullpen for the Orioles. He was one of the best lefties in the game. Along the way, he saved 115 games with a 3.45 ERA. He was the 8th inning set up man for some of that time so the "saves" don't tell the whole story. Often, Weaver would bring him to pitch to a tough lefty.
My favorite memory was Tippy Martinez on the mound when the Orioles beat the White Sox to clinch the AL pennant in 1983.
Tippy is the answer to a great trivia question. Who picked three Toronto Blue Jays (Barry Bonnell, Dave Collins and Willie Upshaw) at first base in one inning during an August 24, 1983 game at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium? The answer is Tippy Martinez.
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