What J.D. Martinez means by ‘grinding out’ an at-bat
"Just finding a way to spoil good pitchers' pitches, really."
After the Red Sox beat the Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series, a reporter charged with translating interviews for a Japanese audience asked J.D. Martinez to explain what he meant by ‘grinding out’ an at-bat. Like he has in so many spots for Boston this season, Martinez delivered.
“To me, grinding out a good at-bat is pretty much fighting, and it’s not trying to do too much with pitches,” the Red Sox slugger told reporters postgame. “Just finding a way to spoil good pitchers’ pitches, really.”
Martinez went 1 for 4 with two RBIs on Wednesday night as the Red Sox claimed a 2-0 series lead. His one hit was a crucial two-out single that drove in Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi in the fifth inning. Martinez sent a 94-mph fastball from Dodgers reliever Ryan Madson into right field, breaking the deadlock and handing the Sox a 4-2 lead they would not relinquish.
Tie game?
Enter J.D. #DoDamage pic.twitter.com/puktTdvH4J
— Red Sox (@RedSox) October 25, 2018
The designated hitter explained his approach at the plate after the game — even if it did require using the term being defined in the definition.
“If a pitcher goes up there and he’s throwing a ball and it’s a breaking ball down and away or a fastball up and in — a perfect pitcher’s pitch — and you’re able to just foul it off and stay alive in the at-bat, kinda just keep grinding, keep working through the at-bat hoping for that mistake that he’s going to make,” Martinez said.
“If he doesn’t, then you walk. If he does, then you hit the ball and you have a chance that way. I think that’s kinda what I mean by grinding out at-bats.”
