Russell Martin Expects To Play In Wild Card Game
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - Pirates catcher Russell Martin said he intends to be in the lineup for Wednesday's National League wild card game against the Giants at PNC Park.
He missed the final two games of the regular season after he appeared to aggravate his injured hamstring on Friday.
Before going on the field for a workout Tuesday afternoon, Martin told reporters, "I'm ready to go. (The hamstring) will be fine."
When pressed on the subject, Martin said, "it's the playoffs. I'm ready to go."
Backup catcher Chris Stewart said he doesn't think there's any way to keep Martin out of the lineup for this game.
"Even if you had to amputate his leg he'd still be out there on one leg trying to help the team win a game," said Stewart.
Second baseman Neil Walker also expects Martin to play, calling him "our leader."
Manger Clint Hurdle said he intends to have three catchers on the roster for the game, meaning Tony Sanchez will be in uniform.
Russell Martin
Pirates Broadcaster Greg Brown also weighed in on Russell Martin's status during his weekly visit with the Starkey and Mueller show. Brown told the guys about a lengthy conversation he had with Martin as the two talked about his availability.
"I had a long conversation with him," Brown told us. "He said it's not great," referring to Martin's hamstring injury, "but it's way better than it was the other day. He says he's very confident that he'll be fine tomorrow, and I said, 'We'll you're going to be careful aren't you?' and he said actually, I think I'll be able to be 100% tomorrow, so he;'s very confident, and that's huge."
You can hear more from Brown on Wednesday's wild card game by clicking the audio link below.
Greg Brown
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