San Diego Padres relief pitcher Nick Martinez. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Padres pitcher eager to rejoin Team USA as a starter

By Michael Carpenter | Last updated 2/21/23

Originally slated to be a part of Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, San Diego Padres pitcher Nick Martinez withdrew due to the USA wanting to use him as a reliever.

With Clayton Kershaw announcing he will not be able to pitch in the WBC and Nestor Cortes withdrawing due to a hamstring injury, Martinez will be called upon to fill one of the rotation spots for Team USA.

Martinez was quoted saying "It's incredibly special for me to wear this uniform, With my family coming from Cuba and coming over here looking for opportunity. It's incredibly humbling, and it's a great honor."

Nick Martinez explains why pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic is so meaningful to him: pic.twitter.com/pGscMBepvf
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) February 20, 2023

The main reason he withdrew originally was that he didn't believe he would be ready to in the regular season due to being used as a reliever in the WBC.

Martinez fresh off signing a new three-year contract with the Padres to be a starter in the rotation this offseason. He wanted to focus on his contractual obligations and held out hope that an opportunity to start for Team USA would arise.

With the Kershaw and Cortes news, Martinez was able to join after a plan was set between the Padres and Team USA.

One of the keys to making it work for the Padres was making sure Martinez would be pitching on the same days they had him previously scheduled to pitch.

This would allow for the routine building that starts in spring training to carry over into the regular season seamlessly while still allowing him to represent his country at the WBC.

Padres manager Bob Melvin discusses Nick Martinez now participating in the World Baseball Classic with Team USA: pic.twitter.com/WEWgzuWNI5
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) February 20, 2023