V-Mart ends career in style with 1st-inning infield single

For Victor Martinez, Saturday couldn't have been more of a storybook ending.

Having previously announced that this would be the final game of his career, the 39-year-old Martinez - who started Saturday's game at first base, marking his first appearance as a fielder since 2016 - turned on the jets one last time to beat out an infield single in the first inning.

And that single marked the end of the line for Martinez, who was replaced by pinch-runner Ronny Rodriguez and left the field to one final standing ovation. In an outstanding show of respect, Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez and shortstop Alcides Escobar both came out of the visiting dugout to embrace their fellow Venezuelan.

Martinez, who's in the midst of the worst statistical season of his career, revealed Friday that this would be his final game. The Tigers celebrated Martinez ahead of first pitch, giving him several parting gifts that included cowboy boots and a Tigers reclining chair during a ceremony that left the retiring star moved to tears.

Martinez was initially signed by the Cleveland Indians (who honored him in their own ceremony last week) as a catcher in 1996. He spent parts of eight seasons in Cleveland before being traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2009 and then joined Detroit as a free agent in 2011.

Martinez retires sporting a career slash line of .295/.359/.455 with 2,153 hits, 246 home runs, 423 doubles, and 1,178 RBIs across his 16 major-league seasons. He was named to five American League All-Star teams, won a pair of Silver Sluggers, and was the runner-up for the AL MVP in 2014.

In 149 postseason at-bats, Martinez was also a career .315 hitter.