Hitting's In Their Cards -- M's Edgar, Tino Martinez Double Trouble For Al Foes

Edgar and Tino Martinez once shared more than a surname.

There was this baseball card. Tino's picture. Edgar's name. Same card.

"It was a minor-league card," Edgar said.

Minor-league maybe, but it could become a major investment if the Mariner Martinezes keep hitting the way they've started in 1995.

Edgar, the 1992 American League batting champion, is batting ..364 after 13 games. Tino, who led the league for the first week, is at .350.

If they still shared the same card, they would be hitting .357 (30 of 84) with five doubles, four home runs and 16 runs batted in. At least one of the Martinezes has produced a hit in all but one Seattle game this season.

Each has played all 13 games, eight of them batting back-to-back, righty-lefty, generally fifth and sixth in the lineup.

"I enjoy batting behind him. You seem to notice things a lot more when you're in the on-deck circle," Tino said of Edgar. "When he's down 0-2 or certain counts, I see how he adjusts. I try to approach the game like he does. I've always tried to talk with him, for years."

The admiration is mutual.

"I like the way he attacks the ball," Edgar said. "I've been watching him since he first came up. I always knew he could hit. He's like a bulldog. Even when he was going bad, he gave his 100-percent best effort every time."

It was bad early last season for Tino. Almost a year ago, May 19, he was at his nadir, batting .189.

"A lot of guys get off to slow starts, then the team went 0-5. That just made it worse," said Tino, who at 27 is five years younger than Edgar.

"Everyone else was hitting, then you come up in key spots and don't come through. . . .

"It's frustrating. You try to force things and make things happen, instead of just relaxing."

The first baseman finally locked in June 28, when he began a 13-game hitting streak. Over his last 32 games, he batted .353 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI.

"He started hitting like crazy right at the end of June," hitting coach Lee Elia said. "He needed to have that good stretch to be himself again. It just confirmed what they've said years ago, this guy has some ability with the bat.

"He carried it over this year. It's good to see him playing with a sense of freedom, in his mind."

What had held him captive through the season's first three months was concern over his left knee. He suffered torn ligaments Aug. 9, 1993, and underwent surgery.

He doesn't use it as an excuse, but the other Martinez does.

"I believe that the legs are the most important part of hitting. And, for that matter, to play this game," Edgar said. "After he got hurt, he didn't have the same strength. It takes a while. I know."

There's another element they both share. Edgar also had a significant leg injury, two days before the start of the 1993 season. He suffered a torn left hamstring and did not play until May 17. He never found his rhythm, batting just .237, 106 points below his league-leading average the previous season.

"Edgar's a special person. I saw it in the first spring, just before he got hurt," Elia said. "There's another case where you need your legs to hit. When the legs go down, you're done.

"No one ever questioned Edgar's ability offensively, but maybe you started to think the injury may have taken away from the ability."

Edgar couldn't show it last season. Again he was slowed by an early injury. He was hit on the wrist in his first at-bat, setting him off-stride all season. He batted .285.

Now, two weeks into 1995, despite the short spring, it appears Edgar is back, hitting the gaps, spraying the ball to all fields and showing occasional power.

"I like his approach to the game, the evenness, the way he goes about preparing for every game, beginning with his pregame batting practice," Elia said of Seattle's designated hitter. "He's got a purpose with every swing. He carries that into the ballgame. I'd like to see everyone emulate that."

The two are not related. Edgar was born in New York but spent most of his life growing up in Puerto Rico with his grandparents. Tino grew up in Tampa, Fla.

They come from different background and have different lifestyles, but they share a special pride.

"It's nice to be Latin, do the job and be proud of who we are," Edgar said.

That pride is carried over onto the field.

"When they both walked into camp, looking at that effort they made during the winter," Elia said, "it's only right that they be both rewarded with good starts."