Dennis “El Presidente” Martinez to Throw First Pitch on May 31: USA vs. Nicaragua
Media Contact: Jason Hendrix, media@playtreasurecoastflorida.com
Play Treasure Coast Sports Tourism contact: Ryan Strickland, 772-380-6221 or rstrickland@playtreasurecoastflorida.com
WHO: Dennis “El Presidente” Martinez
WHAT: First pitch at WBSC Baseball Americas Qualification Event for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020, USA vs. Nicaragua
WHEN: Monday, May 31, 2021 – 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Clover Park, 31 Piazza Dr., Port St. Lucie, Fla. 34986
TICKETS AND MORE INFO: https://oaqbaseball.com/
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA. – On Memorial Day, former Major Leaguer and Nicaraguan native Dennis “El Presidente” Martinez, will step to the mound at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie to throw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to the USA vs. Nicaragua contest at 7:00 p.m. The contest will be the second game of the first day of competition of the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualification Event for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020.
Martinez spent 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), compiling 245 wins and 3.70 career earned run average (ERA). The right-hander struck out 2,149 batters and was a fourth-time All-Star (1990-92, 1995).
The Granada, Nicaragua native was a member of five MLB organizations during his 23 seasons. He debuted with the Baltimore Orioles on September 143, 1976, picking up a win against the Detroit Tigers. After 11 seasons with the Orioles, Martinez moved north to Montreal where he spent the next eight seasons of his career with the Expos.
A career highpoint for Martinez came on July 28, 1991, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. El Presidente would use just 96 pitches, 66 strikes and 30 balls, to hurl a perfect game. This feat was the first-ever perfect game recorded by a Latin American born pitcher and 13th all-time in MLB history. Team USA’s manager, Mike Scioscia, was also a part of the game as the starting catcher for the Dodgers.
In his final five seasons of play, Martinez spent three seasons with the Cleveland Indians (1994-96) and a single-season stint with both the Seattle Mariners (1997) and Atlanta Braves (1998) before appearing in his final game on September 27, 1998, against the New York Mets.
Martinez was the seventh pitcher in MLB history to have won 100 games in both the National and American leagues, joining Jim Bunning, Ferguson (Fergie) Jenkins, Al Orth, Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, and Cy Young. Since then, only Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson have joined the list.
In 2002, El Presidente was tabbed as a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame. Fourteen years later, Martinez was inducted to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (2016) for his time with the Expos.
The complete schedule for the Baseball Americas Qualification Event for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020 can be accessed below:
Game Schedule at Clover Park
- Game 1: Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic, May 31 at 1:00 p.m.
- Game 3: USA vs. Nicaragua, May 31 at 7:00 p.m.
- Game 5: Colombia vs. Venezuela, June 1 at 1:00 p.m.
- Game 7: Canada vs. Cuba, June 1 at 7:00 p.m.
- Game 9: Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic, June 2 at 1:00 p.m.
- Game 11: Puerto Rico vs. USA, June 2 at 7:00 p.m.
- Game 15: Group A2 vs. Group B2, June 5 at 1:00 p.m.
- Game 16: Group A1 vs. Group B1, June 5 at 7:00 p.m.
After group play concludes on Wednesday, June 2, the top two finishers from each group will advance to the Super Round, where they will each play two games. Head-to-head contests among these teams from the opening round will carry over into the Super Round standings.
The team with the best Super Round record will be declared the winner and become the fifth National Team to advance to the Tokyo Olympic baseball tournament, joining world #1 Japan, #3 Korea, #5 Mexico and #18 Israel, who have already punched their ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The second and third place teams will qualify for the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier, scheduled from June 16-20 in Taiwan at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium and Douliou Baseball Stadium in Douliu City.
Tickets for the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier for Tokyo can be purchased by visiting https://oaqbaseball.com.
About Play Treasure Coast Sports Tourism
Play Treasure Coast Sports Tourism (formerly Treasure Coast Sports Commission) offers event owners and managers access to outstanding sport facilities, special pricing on hotels from our partners and grants to help fund your event. Located on the East Central Coast of Florida comprising Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin Counties, the Treasure Coast is 45 minutes north of the Palm Beaches and the West Palm Beach International Airport, 90 minutes north of Ft. Lauderdale, 120 minutes north of Miami, and 120 minutes south of Orlando. Play Treasure Coast Sports Tourism is the official home of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, located at the MIDFLORIDA Event Center in Port St. Lucie. For more information, visit
https://www.playtreasurecoastflorida.com.








