Martinez was credited with the victory in Team Dominican Republic's 9-2 victory over Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic Pool C opener Thursday, surrendering one unearned run on three hits over four innings. He struck out four.
The Cardinals' ace had a little extra juice in his potent right arm, topping out with pitches that registered at 100.4 and 100.6 mph on the radar gun. Martinez fired seven pitches overall that hit or eclipsed the 95 mph mark, and he cruised through two scoreless frames before allowing his only run in the third on a sequence that included a throwing error by shortstop Jose Reyes and a balk. He threw 53 pitches overall and will be available for one more WBC start if Team Dominican Republic advances to second-round play.