“When Russell Martin was growing up in Montreal, his father used to take him to a handful of Expos games at Olympic Stadium each year.

The price for a hot dog at the Big O was a little steep, so his dad, who made a living as a busker playing his saxophone in Montreal subway stations, often packed sandwiches.

“My dad was a great storyteller, and he would make up these stories like, ‘Here comes Russell Martin at the plate. There’s a shot deep to right field.’ He would make up stories about me hitting homers in the games,” recalled Martin. “He kind of helped me create this visual that I could get there someday.”