Víctor Jesús Martínez (born December 23, 1978), also known by his nickname "V-Mart", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball designated hitter and catcher.

Martínez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers.

Martínez's first major league hit was a two-run single in the seventh inning off Blue Jays pitcher Justin Miller.

[4] On September 29, Martínez and Earl Snyder hit back-to-back home runs in a 7–3 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Exhibiting knowledge of the strike zone and an ability to make contact, he reduced his strikeout totals and produced a combined .376 on-base percentage.

He also drove in 63 runs, hitting .323 with runners in scoring position, and was selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game played at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field.

[6] In his first full major league season, Martínez hit .283 with 23 home runs and 108 RBI in 141 games as the Indians' starting catcher for 2004.

He also earned his first All-Star selection, and shared the Silver Slugger honor as the top-hitting American League catcher with Iván Rodríguez.

The team had scheduled two separate Martínez-related promotional giveaways (bobbleheads on August 1, chest protector backpacks five days later) for dates subsequent to the transaction.

[20] On July 31, 2009, Martínez was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price.

[21] Martínez made his debut with the Red Sox on August 1, starting at first base and finishing the game 1-for-5 with an RBI single in Boston's 4–0 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

His combined totals for the 2009 season (with Cleveland and Boston) included a .303 batting average, 23 home runs, and 108 RBI in 155 games.

[25] He was activated on July 26, and was placed back into the starting lineup for Boston's game against the Angels that night, hitting an RBI single in his first at-bat.

[6] On November 23, 2010, Martínez and the Detroit Tigers organization reached an agreement on a four-year, $50 million free agent contract.

In the 2011 postseason, Martínez batted .250 with two home runs, a triple, 5 RBI and five walks in 11 games, helping the Tigers to the ALCS.

On June 22, owner Mike Ilitch optimistically reported that Martínez's rehab was progressing better than expected, and speculated that he might rejoin the Tigers in August or September.

[33] Entering the 2014 season, new Tigers manager Brad Ausmus indicated that he wanted Martínez to be prepared to catch, particularly during interleague games in a National League ballpark where there is no designated hitter.

[41] In a game against the New York Yankees on August 27, Martínez hit his 26th home run of the 2014 season, establishing a new career high.

[43] Martínez finished the 2014 regular season with a career-high .335 batting average (second-best in the American League), 33 doubles and 103 RBI, while setting career highs with 188 hits and 32 home runs.

[46] On November 4, 2014, the BBWAA announced that Martínez was one of the three finalists for the American League MVP Award, along with Michael Brantley and Mike Trout.

On November 6, 2014, it was announced that Martínez won his second Silver Slugger Award, as the top-hitting American League designated hitter.

[50][51] On February 5, 2015, it was announced that Martínez had suffered a torn medial meniscus in his left knee during offseason workouts.

[53] Martínez did start the season, but reaggravated the left knee injury a couple weeks into April and began to struggle at the plate.

He hit particularly poorly from the left side (.141 average in 85 at-bats), being unable to put weight on his back knee without pain.

[55] On September 23, 2015, Martínez hit his 200th career home run, against Frankie Montas of the Chicago White Sox, becoming the sixth Venezuelan to reach the milestone.

[58] On April 6, 2016, Martínez became the first player in modern Major League history to hit a pinch-hit home run in his team's first two regular-season games of the season.

[65] On June 15, 2017, Martínez was replaced with a pinch runner in the seventh inning after complaining about a fast heartbeat, dizziness, and cold sweats.

[66] On July 7, Martínez recorded his 2,000th career hit with a single off Carlos Carrasco of the Cleveland Indians, becoming the ninth active player to reach the milestone.

[68] On September 2, it was revealed that Martínez would undergo cardiovascular surgery due to his irregular heartbeat, effectively ending his 2017 season.

[70] Having undergone successful cardiovascular surgery and treatment, Martínez participated in a full 2018 spring training and began the season as the Tigers' designated hitter.