September 14 is a good day for an anniversary. On this date in 1976, Dennis Martinez
earned the win in his major league debut with 5.2 shutout innings of four-hit, five-strikeout relief in a 9-7 victory over the Tigers. He bailed the Birds out after Ross Grimsley and Dave Pagan combined to cough up seven runs in three and one-third innings, stranding a pair of inherited runners. By the time he entered, the O's had already come most of the way back from an early 6-0 deficit, thanks in large part to a Doug DeCinces three-run homer, but he arrested Detroit's momentum and kept the score tight until the offense broke through with a four-run burst in the bottom of the seventh. Dennis sealed the win with a perfect ninth inning, inducing a trio of ground ball outs to make history as the first-ever Nicaraguan-born player in the major leagues. To this day, he's still one of just 14 players from his native country to play in the bigs, and is by far the most accomplished. (Take THAT, Everth Cabrera.)
September 14, 2015 is also the second anniversary of my wedding day. She's still putting up with me, and often doing so with a smile. I'm forever grateful.
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