Melancon credits 'stubborn' Russell Martin for his success

It was Russell Martin's belief in Mark Melancon's cutter that changed the latter's career for the better.

The new San Francisco Giants closer admitted Tuesday that after a dire 2012 season with the Boston Red Sox where he posted a 6.20 ERA in 45 innings, it was joining the backstop on the Pittsburgh Pirates the following season that completely rejuvenated his career.

"He just instilled confidence in me with that cutter; really helped me learn when to throw it, what we're looking for in hitters, how to read them," Melancon told USA Today Sports' Jorge L. Ortiz. "And then just being downright stubborn with throwing it.

"He would get mad at me if I wanted to go away from it, with reason. He was a great mentor for me."

The newly established batterymates clicked immediately in their first season together. Melancon went on to post a 1.39 ERA in 71 relief innings in 2013 - his best mark to date - and also earned the first of his three All-Star nods that season.

Though Martin left the Pirates after the 2014 season for the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency, the pairing taught Melancon the benefit of partnering with a proficient backstop. That helped convince him to sign a four-year, $62-million deal with Giants in December, where he'll get to work with one of the game's best behind the plate in Buster Posey.

"When somebody really cares about who's out on the mound and they take pride in how that guy does, that's what I've seen here with Buster," Melancon said, according to Ortiz. "He wants that guy to be so good, and he doesn't want to take credit for it. Without him it's a different story."