Manufacturer: Donruss
Set: 1989 Donruss The Rookies Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Ramon Martinez
Position/Team: Pitcher for Dodgers
Card #: 45
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
In the baseball world, Ramón Martínez is the man who carried the heavy burden of being both a phenom and the “older brother of a legend.” While he is often overshadowed by his Hall of Fame younger brother, Pedro Martínez, Ramón was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game during his peak with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
When Ramón arrived in 1988, he was heralded as the next Sandy Koufax. He was lanky, threw “pure gas,” and possessed a deceptive, herky-jerky delivery. On June 4, 1990, at just 22 years old, he tied the Dodgers’ franchise record by striking out 18 batters in a single game against the Braves. That same year, he won 20 games and finished second in the Cy Young voting to Doug Drabek. He was, for a moment, the undisputed ace of the Dodgers. On July 14, 1995, he threw a no-hitter against the Florida Marlins. He was a lone walk away from a perfect game.
The most famous story involving Ramón is his insistence that the Dodgers sign his “little brother.” While the Dodgers’ scouts were skeptical because Pedro was small and thin, Ramón famously told everyone who would listen: “I’m good, but my brother is going to be way better than me.”
Ironically, the Dodgers eventually traded Pedro away (to the Expos for Delino DeShields) because they didn’t think he would hold up physically—one of the most lopsided trades in history. The brothers were finally reunited as teammates on the Boston Red Sox in 1999 and 2000.
Ramón Martínez serves as a Senior Advisor in Latin America for the Baltimore Orioles, working closely with their scouting and player development in the Dominican Republic. He is frequently seen at Hall of Fame events alongside Pedro, and he remains a revered figure in Manoguayabo, where the Martínez family has built significant community projects and baseball academies.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
➡️ See All 1989 Donruss Rookie Card Prices
Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
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Other Ramon Martinez Rookie Cards:
- 1989 Fleer Ramon Martinez #67
- 1989 Score Ramon Martinez #635
- 1989 Topps Ramon Martinez #225
- 1989 Upper Deck Ramon Martinez #18
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