History-making former Baltimore Orioles outfielder dies suddenly at 59

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In the history of Major League Baseball, which spans all the way back to 1876, there have been a total 20,846 players to make it to the big leagues.

But from Aaron Aardsma through Tony Zych, there has been only player with this unique claim to fame.

Ex-Baltimore Oriole Chito Martinez was the first and, to this date, only player to hail from Belize.

And, on Tuesday, the team announced that the former outfielder had died at the age of 59.

“We mourn the passing of former Orioles outfielder Chito Martinez, the only native of Belize to play in the majors,” the Orioles said in a statement on X.

While Martinez’s official cause of death has not been announced, Crescent City Sports reports that he suffered a heart attack.

His son, Dalton Martinez, shared a tribute on Tuesday morning on social media site X.

“Sunday night on Easter, my dad was taken away off this earth unexpectedly. We desperately need help in this time. My father was one of the best men. Taught the game of baseball the right way. Taught young men how to be better,” he wrote.

“His presence in my life can never be replaced. As I pick up the pieces to my life, please consider helping. A kind soul has left us too soon.”

A GoFundMe page set up to help Martinez’s family said he had a “series of hospitalizations” over the past few weeks and died on Sunday.

“As a ballplayer myself growing up, I never had his talent but I always looked up to him,” Robbie Martinez, Chito’s brother, told Crescent City Sports. “They called Chito ‘Mex’ and called me ‘Little Mex.’ He introduced me to baseball. I worshipped those guys in 1983 and 1984 at Brother Martin.

“Even more, he taught me about life, about how to be a dad, about golf, above and beyond baseball.”

Chito was born in Belize City, Belize, in 1965 and immigrated to New Orleans when he was two years old. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1984 after starring at Brother Martin High School, but spent the next six years in the minors before his contract ran out.

He signed with the Orioles organization in 1990 and made his MLB debut in 1991. He spent three seasons in the majors, playing 158 total games while batting .259 and hitting 18 home runs and 58 RBIs.