After sitting the first two games, designated hitter JD Martinez will likely make his National League Championship Series debut in Game 3 when the series shifts to Queens.
With the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers knotted at one win apiece, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to the media during the off-day before Game 3 about his veteran DH. He said “there’s a good chance” Martinez would be in the batting order on Wednesday, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. Left-handed hitter Jesse Winker started at DH in the first two games, going 2-6 with a pair of walks and a run scored.
Martinez’s production took a dip in 2024 after three straight All-Star seasons. His first year with the Mets, Martinez hit .235 with 16 home runs and a .725 OPS over 120 games. The 36-year-old appeared in six of the Mets’ seven playoff games over the first two rounds, batting sixth in the order each game. Martinez is a career .293 hitter in the postseason with a .941 playoff OPS.
Martinez and the Mets will go up against Dodgers starter Walker Buehler in Game 3. Martinez is 0-3 in his career against the righty Buehler, who gave up six runs in five innings in his first start of the postseason against the San Diego Padres.
The Mets DH hit significantly worse against right-handed pitching in 2024 (.225 vs. .263), making the move somewhat surprising. That said, Martinez’ bat is still potent enough that Mendoza wouldn’t want him getting too cold with an extended layoff.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza praises JD Martinez’ veteran leadership
Martinez is a 14-year MLB veteran with 331 career home runs to his name. Even if his best days are behind him as a player — and one season hardly proves that — his added value comes from his influence on the rest of the team.
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Mendoza explained that younger players go to Martinez for advice on how to prepare for matchups, asking what the veteran slugger looks for when he’s doing “his homework,” and for advice on their mechanics.
“He’s pretty smart when it comes down to hitting. He’s been a huge part of this team since he got here,” Mendoza said. “It’s a privilege to have a mindset like that. Great guy in that clubhouse, special guy.”
Mendoza added that Jose Quintana will start Game 4 of the NLCS. Though he didn’t announce a Game 5 starter, DiComo speculated that Game 1 starter Kodai Senga is the logical choice. Senga had a disastrous Game 1, lasting 1.1 innings and giving up three runs while walking four.
Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.
