Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Chris Martin (55) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Texas Rangers Reliever Chris Martin Coming Off Historically Brutal Outing

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 10:04 AM ET

The Baltimore Orioles got shut out Wednesday, but their bats had a field day against the Texas Rangers’ bullpen on Tuesday.

Texas led 4-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, when starting pitcher Jacob Latz issued a single and walk before passing the torch to Martin. The 39-year-old right-hander proceeded to give up a three-run home run to Gary Sánchez, letting the Rangers' lead dwindle to one.

Martin didn’t exactly bounce back from there, as Ramón Urías and Ryan O’Hearn made it back-to-back-to-back homers for Baltimore. That, unsurprisingly, led to Martin getting the hook.

According to Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Martin is the fourth player in MLB history to allow three home runs while facing only three batters. B.J. Rosenberg became the first pitcher to achieve the lowly feat in 2014, while Mauricio Llovera and Kaleb Ort did so in 2021 and 2024, respectively.

Chris Martin is the 4th player in MLB history to allow 3 HR while facing only 3 batters. The others:

Kaleb Ort (2024)
Mauricio Llovera (2021)
B.J. Rosenberg (2014)
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) June 26, 2025

Entering Tuesday, Martin boasted a 1.48 ERA and 0.863 WHIP through 27 appearances on the season. He now has a 2.59 ERA and 0.986 WHIP.

Texas held on to win despite Martin’s uncharacteristic struggles Tuesday, pulling out a 6-5 victory in 10 innings. That set the stage for a 7-0 win in the series finale Wednesday behind the power of ace Jacob deGrom.

The Rangers have Thursday off, then will open up a series with the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Given he only threw 13 pitches on Tuesday, Martin should be available to redeem himself this weekend back at Globe Life Field.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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