Catcher

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Victor Martinez was a reluctant catcher when the Cleveland Indians sent him to the Instructional League in the fall of 1998. Signed as a shortstop out of Venezuela two years earlier, he considered quitting when the team told him to get behind the plate. His mother, Margot, who was raising three other children alone back home while working as a nurse, talked him out of it. The first pitcher Martinez caught - he forgets the name - threw a 92-mile-per-hour fastball.

By Nick Ironside, Globe Correspondent The Malden softball team avenged its only loss of the season, knocking off No. 12 Lynn Classical, 3-2, at Malden. The No. 4 Golden Tornadoes (15-1) trailed, 2-1, entering the bottom of the seventh. Senior pitcher Kiara Amos — who is heading to Providence in the fall — struck out 11 in seven innings. Lynn Classical (13-2) defeated Malden, 7-5, earlier this season. "We came out swinging," said Malden coach John Furlong.

CHICAGO - It wasn’t anything unexpected, but Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein announcing that Victor Martinez will be the team’s full-time catcher next season certainly smacked of something more on the horizon, and it certainly meant the end of more than a decade of Jason Varitek’s reign as the team’s primary catcher. Martinez still might play first base or be the designated hitter, but the announcement opens the door for the Sox to do something big, namely Adrian Gonzalez.

Tony Iafolla decided it was time for a change. He had attended Johnson & Wales University, briefly, after graduating from Medfield High in 2001. He volunteered with Habit For Humanity in Central America before returning to Massachusetts and settling into a full-time landscaping job. A baseball and hockey player in high school, Iafolla continued to play summer ball in the Yawkey League, earning league MVP honors for his stellar play behind the plate. But he wanted more.

Hopkinton’s Kevin Quaranto , a senior baseball captain at Siena College, filled in for the team’s injured starting catcher this season, and his impressive play — including throwing out 15 of 34 runners attempting to steal — has led to a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. The former St. John’s High of Shrewsbury standout has been assigned to Philly’s Gulf Coast (Rookie) League team in Clearwater, Fla., where he has been familiarizing himself with the pitching staff and his new environment.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Ed Bailey, an All-Star catcher with the Cincinnati Reds in the 1950s, died of cancer on Friday. He was 75. Al Neil, Mr. Bailey's brother-in-law, told The Knoxville News Sentinel that Mr. Bailey died at Parkwest Medical Center, after being diagnosed about six months ago with throat cancer. The five-time All-Star catcher from Strawberry Plains started his professional career with the Reds in 1953. Mr. Bailey hit 28 home runs in 1956 for Cincinnati, including three in one game.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Angelo Giuliani, who was behind the plate for Joe DiMaggio's first at-bat in the majors and went on to sign Kent Hrbek as a Minnesota Twins scout, died Friday, the Twins said. He was 91. Mr. Giuliani was a scout with the Washington Senators before the team moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins. He retired in 1987. "I've seen a lot of changes," Mr. Giuliani said then. "It's kind of a young man's game. The old scouts just fade away. " He said his proudest moment was opening day in 1984 when Minnesota's lineup included four of...

Buster Posey was carted through a tunnel at AT&T Park on Thursday, a makeshift cast covering his left ankle and no emotion on his face. Not exactly the exit the cornerstone of the World Series champion Giants wanted this season. A night after Florida’s Scott Cousins crashed into him at home plate, San Francisco’s star catcher was put on the disabled list because of a fractured bone in his lower left leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle, likely ending his season and putting a major dent in the Giants’ chances of repeating.

By Nick Ironside, Globe Correspondent The Malden softball team avenged its only loss of the season, knocking off No. 12 Lynn Classical, 3-2, at Malden. The No. 4 Golden Tornadoes (15-1) trailed, 2-1, entering the bottom of the seventh. Senior pitcher Kiara Amos — who is heading to Providence in the fall — struck out 11 in seven innings. Lynn Classical (13-2) defeated Malden, 7-5, earlier this season. "We came out swinging," said Malden coach John Furlong.

The Red Sox chopped into their long list of unsigned players yesterday when catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. Saltalamacchia hit .235 last season with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs. He ranked third among American League catchers with a .452 slugging percentage and fourth with a .741 OPS. He also threw out 28 runners attempting to steal, the most for a Sox catcher since 2002. The 26-year-old Saltalamacchia will arrive in spring training as the team's primary catcher after splitting the duties for much...

Pavel Dzemianok / For the Boston Globe Latin Academy senior pitcher Sam Steeves lifted the Dragons to a 6-3 victory against Boston English High on Wednesday afternoon. By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent Latin Academy senior pitcher, Sam Steeves, and Boston English catcher, Jessy Valdez, are such good friends that they don't dare talk trash after playing one another on the baseball diamond. Before striking out Valdez to secure the final out of a 6-3 victory at English High on Wednesday afternoon, Steeves gave up...

Plymouth's Walsh a star catcher who understands the risks He's a freshman at Franklin Pierce University hitting .337 with power to all fields and an arm like a cannon. Matt Walsh (inset) could probably play other positions on the diamond that put less strain on his body. Catching, though, adds risk.   Squatting behind the plate for nine innings a game (and he's caught just about every inning of all 46 games this spring for the Ravens) isn't friendly on the knees, nor does it bode well for longevity in one's...

By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Bobby Valentine loves what he's seen from catcher Ryan Lavarnway, but he's not quite ready to give him a spot on the 25-man roster. Valentine, who has managed Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza, said Lavarnway has made good strides with all phases of his defensive game. Catching instructor Gary Tuck has given the young catcher good grades after he's made adjustments. Valentine said he figures the decision on Lavarnway at the end is getting tougher, but as far as giving him a spot on the team, "I'm not...

Every Sunday, Boston Globe photographer Stan Grossfeld asks the subject of one of his photos to explain what's happening in the shot. Who's up today: Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald (right) slides safely into home past Northeastern catcher Tucker Roeder in the inaugural game at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., March 3, 2012. Roeder: "I could see him with my peripheral vision coming down the line, and I knew we had a chance to make the play on him. When the play is actually going on, the adrenaline is going, and baseball instinct kind of takes over.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff Yankees manager Joe Girardi, a former catcher, had this to say to reporters in Tampa about the retirement of Jason Varitek: "He was a big part of their club, the way he ran that pitching staff and being a switch hitter that produced offensively. I thought he was a big part of their club, just like Jorge [Posada] was. The unfortunate thing is, when you have great players like that, the unfortunate thing is they get older. You can't keep them 25, 26 their whole career because we all love having them around.

In a rough-and-tumble clubhouse filled with dark secrets and constant conflict, there was always one sunny stall. Those New York Mets could count on Gary Carter to deliver — a smile, a spark and ultimately a championship. The effervescent Hall of Fame catcher whose single for the Mets in the 1986 World Series touched off one of the most improbable rallies in baseball, died Thursday. The Kid was 57. Carter was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last May, two weeks after finishing his second season as coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff Dighton-Rehoboth's junior catcher Nicole Lundstrom has verbally committed to Syracuse according to her head coach Dave Driscoll. Lundstrom earned All-Scholastic honors last spring after hitting .575 with four home runs and 34 RBI. An outstanding catcher, she threw out 75% of opposing runners attempting to steal.

Every Sunday, Boston Globe photographer Stan Grossfeld asks the subject of one of his photos to explain what's happening in the shot. Who's up today: Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald (right) slides safely into home past Northeastern catcher Tucker Roeder in the inaugural game at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., March 3, 2012. Roeder: "I could see him with my peripheral vision coming down the line, and I knew we had a chance to make the play on him. When the play is actually going on, the adrenaline is going, and baseball instinct kind of takes over.

NEW YORK — Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, whose single for the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series touched off one of the most improbable rallies in baseball, died Thursday. He was 57. Carter was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last May, two weeks after finishing his second season as coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University.‘ ‘I am deeply saddened to tell you all that my precious dad went to be with Jesus today at 4:10 p.m.," Carter's daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote on the family website.

BASEBALL The Yankees said Jorge Posada is set to announce his retirement today at Yankee Stadium. The 40-year-old five-time All-Star catcher will end his 17-year career with the team that drafted him rather than pursue another team. Posada became a free agent after a trying season in New York, the final year of a four-year, $52 million contract. A clubhouse leader, he helped the Yankees win five World Series. Posada hit .273 with 275 home runs, and 1,065 RBIs for his career. He lost his catching job last season and his playing time had diminished . . . Omar Vizquel and the Blue...