Some Major League Baseball players and teams might become overwhelmed with pressure and stress at the tail end of a postseason push.
Not J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox.
There are four days left in the 2021 MLB regular season, and both American League Wild Card spots still are up for grabs. Following Wednesday's action, the New York Yankees were situated in the first spot, with the Red Sox one game behind. But both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners were right on the heels of those AL East powerhouses.
Martinez helped the Red Sox maintain their position with a three-RBI performance in Boston's middle game against the Baltimore Orioles. The veteran slugger is very much enjoying these end-of-season dramatics, which he would have signed up for back in April.
"It's fun. This is awesome," Martinez told reporters, per MLB.com "I'm sure you guys are having fun with it, too. We're having fun with it. Obviously, there's a little bit more pressure on us. I like to have fun with these things. This is what you play for -- to be in these situations. If they would have told us at the beginning of spring training we'd be in this situation, I think everyone would be excited, and we'd be looking forward to the challenge."
The Sox on Thursday will try to win the series against the O's before moving onto the nation's capital. NESN's full coverage of the Boston-Baltimore finale begins at 6 p.m. ET.
