Buck Martinez Cancer: Blue Jays broadcaster, Buck Martinez will be stepping away from the booth.
Former major league player and manager, and current television play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays, Buck Martinez has announced he will be stepping away from the broadcast booth following a recent diagnosis.
“Today will be my last game in the booth for a little while as I have recently been diagnosed with cancer and will begin the process for treatment in the coming weeks,” Martinez said in a statement. “I’ve been so honoured and privileged to have the support of Blue Jays fans, colleagues, staff and players since I arrived here in 1981, and that continued support through this next challenge means the world to me.”
Martinez played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Kansas City Royals, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Since the end of his playing career, he has been a broadcaster, working on the Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles radio and television broadcasts, and nationally for TBS and MLB Network. Martinez managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001 to May 2002 and Team USA at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.