Fordham Professional Athletes

Nick Martinez is not supposed to be here. At 36, pitching for a Tampa Bay Rays franchise built on undervalued arms and organizational ingenuity, the Fordham alum has carved out one of the more unlikely World Series moments a Ram fan could script — and he's doing it on the biggest stage in baseball.

Martinez was announced as Tampa Bay's Game 1 starter for the 2026 World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, a decision that raised eyebrows across the league but made quiet sense to anyone who had watched him work through October. He faced Jacob Misiorowski on Friday night in Milwaukee, carrying a 3.00 postseason ERA into the start after a strong ALCS outing.

The Road to Game 1

Martinez's October résumé earned him the ball. In Game 4 of the ALCS against Cleveland on Saturday, October 18, he turned in 5.1 innings of one-run ball — allowing just one earned run while striking out three — as the Rays won 7-3. It was a performance in line with what he had delivered all postseason: no drama, consistent execution, ground balls when he needed them.

The World Series assignment only amplified the stakes. Per CBS Sports, Martinez drew the matchup against Brewers ace Misiorowski in Game 1 at American Family Field, with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Friday. Sports Illustrated framed it as a surprising but defensible call — a veteran who had proven he could hold up under playoff pressure, even if no one penciled him in as a Fall Classic starter when the postseason began.

Game 1: A Quality Start in the Moment That Mattered

On Saturday, October 24, Martinez delivered. He worked five innings in Game 1, allowing two earned runs and striking out five, finishing with a 3.21 ERA for the postseason. The Rays held a 2-0 lead while he was on the mound, per Yahoo Sports game coverage — Martinez doing what he does, inducing weak contact and keeping the Brewers' lineup from finding a rhythm.

Five innings in a World Series Game 1 is not a shutdown performance on paper. But for a pitcher who was described as an unexpected starter by multiple outlets, it was exactly the kind of gutsy, functional outing that has defined his October. The Rays, who entered as first-time World Series participants, got what they needed from their Game 1 arm.

The Bigger Picture for Fordham

Martinez's journey through the majors — stints with Texas, San Diego, Cincinnati, and now Tampa Bay — has been a long one. But this week put the Bronx school's name in World Series coverage in a way it rarely appears. For Fordham fans, a Ram on the mound in Game 1 of the Fall Classic is the kind of alumni moment that doesn't come around often.

The Series continues. So does Martinez's October.

Nick Martinez isn't just in the postseason — he's carrying the Fordham flag into one of the most pressure-packed starts of the American League Championship Series.

The Bronx-born Ram-turned-Ray is taking the mound for Tampa Bay in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians, a series in which the Rays find themselves trailing 2-1 and staring down an increasingly narrow path to the World Series. For Martinez, it's the kind of assignment that defines a career.

Why Martinez Is Starting

The situation became clearer — and the stakes higher — when the Rays confirmed that erstwhile ace Shane McClanahan has been ruled out for the remainder of the postseason. McClanahan's absence, reported by the Tampa Bay Times and confirmed by MLB Trade Rumors, leaves Tampa Bay leaning heavily on its remaining rotation options: Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, and Martinez. With the series on the line in Game 4, the Rays handed the ball to the Fordham product.

Tampa Bay's decision was not without deliberation. Following a rain-out that reshuffled the pitching calendar, the organization weighed whether to alter its starter. Per Sports Illustrated, the Rays ultimately held firm with Martinez — a call SI characterized as the right one. The implication is clear: Martinez has earned the trust of Tampa Bay's front office and coaching staff at the moment the margin for error is smallest.

The Stakes for Tampa Bay — and for Martinez

A 2-1 series deficit is survivable, but only barely. The Rays need wins in Games 4 and 5 just to return home with a lead, meaning Martinez's outing is functionally must-win territory. Cleveland will open Game 4 with Shawn Armstrong, per Yahoo Sports, setting up an intriguing contrast between a Guardians bullpen game and a Rays rotation piece making a traditional start.

Martinez's journey to this moment is a genuine story. Signed and developed through a career that has wound through multiple organizations and even a stint in Japan, the Fordham alumnus has rebuilt himself into a reliable mid-rotation arm. Getting an ALCS start — particularly in a hole-digging situation — is validation of that long road.

The Rest of the Fordham MLB Landscape

Martinez is the lone Ram in active postseason action, but Fordham has other names scattered across big-league rosters. Greg Weissert is in the Red Sox organization, while John Stankiewicz is on the Twins' pitching staff and Daniel Bucciero holds down a roster spot at third base for the Athletics. None are in October baseball this year — that distinction belongs entirely to Martinez, who is representing the Rose Hill faithful on the sport's biggest stage.

For Fordham fans watching the ALCS, Game 4 is the game to circle. Their guy has the ball, the series is live, and the pressure is as real as it gets.