CLEVELAND — Riley Martin stepped onto the outfield grass at Progressive Field on Saturday afternoon and looked up.
The vastness of the ballpark, even as it remained empty, captured Martin’s attention.
“Man, this is a lot different than Iowa,” the left-hander said with a smile.
Martin earned his first big-league call-up Sunday when the Chicago Cubs put right-hander Cade Horton on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain. A senior signee by the Cubs in 2021 for $1,000 out of Division II Quincy University, Martin never had a guaranteed path to the majors.
“Obviously it’s something I’ve dreamed of as a kid,” he said Sunday. “It took longer than I thought it would, but just kept working and just kept getting after it every single day and I’m finally here.”
Martin made his MLB debut in the bottom of the eighth inning of Monday’s 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, tossing a clean frame behind an inning-ending double play. Second baseman Nico Hoerner gave Martin the double-play ball as they returned to the dugout for a keepsake from his debut. He plans to put the ball in his man cave to remember the experience.
“Pretty much everything I expected it to be,” Martin said afterward. “Got some emotions, but I got through it and put up a zero — pretty cool moment.”
His major-league dream nearly ended before his journey truly started.
Martin didn’t have many offers to pitch in college coming out of high school in Salem, Ill., roughly 75 miles east of St. Louis. Quincy gave Martin an opportunity to continue his baseball career, at least for a few more years.
The COVID-19 pandemic cut short what was supposed to be his senior season in 2020. Martin thought that was the end of his life as a pitcher. Once the season ended and graduation neared, he prepared to head to pharmacy school — until he learned athletes were granted a fifth season of NCAA eligibility because of the lost season. He figured he would give it one more go and embrace the fun of being on the diamond for another year.
He got stronger before his fifth year and subsequently began throwing harder. Martin also incorporated a four-seam fastball instead of a sinker, and the combination of factors led to a season the Cubs noticed, particularly the upside with stuff that yielded 152 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings.
“I had a mindset change as well, just trying to attack every hitter and kind of smother them,” Martin said. “The D-II grind is no joke. I came from the bottom and just grinded through it, and I think going that route taught me to just keep going.”
Martin had a feeling something was up this week when Triple-A Iowa pitching coach Tony Cougoule summoned him from the bullpen and told him to see manager Marty Pevey. He was aware the Cubs needed a pitcher to replace Horton on the roster, so there was an inkling he was about to receive good news.
Martin, who turned 28 last month, joins a Cubs bullpen that needs out-getters, especially if they lose bulk innings from Colin Rea should he take Horton’s rotation spot Wednesday at Tampa Bay.
A horde of Martin’s family and friends traveled to Cleveland when he was called up, including his parents, his wife and buddies from his hometown. Martin’s family followed the team from Cleveland and were in attendance on Monday for his debut.
His performance in 2025 put him on the big-league radar and earned him a 40-man roster spot in the offseason. He posted a 2.97 ERA, 80 strikeouts and 35 walks over 63 2/3 innings in 47 appearances for Iowa and was on the cusp of a call-up a couple of times last year, manager Craig Counsell said Sunday.
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“You have to work hard to get better … and Riley’s somebody that over the course of his career has continued to get better, and that’s what eventually gets you on the map and puts you on the radar,” Counsell said. “You’ve got to keep showing organizations that you’re moving up and you have to earn those opportunities, and that’s exactly what Riley has done.”
Martin felt he had a good chance to debut this year after the Cubs put him on the 40-man roster. His self-assessed “OK” spring training performance had Martin believing he needed to keep putting in the work at Triple A to make a big-league arrival a reality.
“Whenever my name was called, just make the most of it,” Martin said, “so that’s the plan.”