The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the best stories in Major League Baseball. They are ahead of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in the American League East and own the second-best record in the AL. They could win their first division title since 2015. Sportsnet analyst Buck Martinez has enjoyed this season, despite it being personally challenging for him.

Martinez has been battling lung cancer. It’s the second time dealing with the disease after being diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2022. His treatment and recovery have led to him missing time, but he returned to work earlier this month. He is currently away from the team for additional treatment, but he is scheduled to return Sept. 1 for Toronto’s game in Cincinnati. We recently caught up with Martinez to discuss his health and the Blue Jays.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: How are you feeling these days?

Buck Martinez: “My health is really good, it’s improving all the time. I just returned to Los Angeles. I did the Dodgers series, and then the Cubs and Rangers series, and now I am scheduled off for two weeks. I’ll rejoin the Blue Jays on Sept. 1 for the rest of the season.”

What has it been like being away from a job you love?

“It was very hard. Anytime you do something that you love and it’s taken away for any period of time, it’s difficult. But I was watching, I followed them very closely, and it’s a fun team. It’s a team that’s doing very well. They’re a great bunch of guys, and they play old-fashioned baseball. They play for each other, and now they’re having a hell of a season.”

How difficult has this time been?

“I had cancer in 2022. It came back in May. I’m getting my final cancer treatments now in Houston, and I should be good to go. I worked nine games, 11 games recently. Felt great, just like old times. I look forward to getting back for the great month of September. Obviously, anytime you hear that for the first time back in ’22, it was very, very scary. Fortunately, I came to the best hospital in the world, MD Anderson in Houston. I’ve had two great doctors. Everything has gone well, and I expect a full recovery very soon.”

Getting to baseball, are you surprised by these Blue Jays?

“I don’t know if it’s that surprising. They made some coaching changes in the offseason. They brought in two new hitting coaches, and in the spring, you could see there was a lot of adjusting going on. It took about six weeks for the team to grab a hold of this new philosophy of not striking out, having good at-bats, and passing the baton to your teammate behind you. That has worked very well for them.”

Which players have been key to their success?

“When you have star players like (Bo) Bichette, (Vladimir) Guerrero (Jr.), (George) Springer, (Kevin) Gausman, and (Max) Scherzer, and (Chris) Bassitt, you’ve got a good foundation. But I think the biggest thing, and maybe this was a surprise, was how well the role players have played. (Davis) Schneider, Myles Straw. Ernie Clement has turned into a regular player, and he’s done a great job. Addison Barger has done great. Maybe the biggest story of the season has been Tyler Heineman, the catcher, backing up Alejandro Kirk. Heineman is in his early 30s. He hasn’t had many opportunities to do well, but he’s probably been the best backup catcher in the American League this year.”

How much credit does manager John Schneider deserve?

“I think he deserves a lot of credit, because of what he has done when he has called up guys from the minor leagues. Buddy Kennedy, Joey Loperfido, these guys that have come up and had cups of coffee this year, he puts them right into a game. He doesn’t sit them on the bench for a week, and they sit there and wonder, ‘What am I doing here?’ He puts them into the game, and that makes them feel like (they’re) part of this team. He’s done a great job of communicating. Everybody on this team understands that if they don’t start a game, there’s a real good chance they’re going to have some impact in that particular game. He’s got a great coaching staff, with DeMarlo Hale, Don Mattingly, and Pete Walker, and all the new hitting coaches.”

What is going to be a successful season for the Blue Jays?

“Everybody wants to win a World Series, and I think they believe they can. Now, with Shane Bieber coming on, he’s going to start on Friday against Miami. When you look at the pitching rotation of Scherzer, Gausman, Bieber, Bassitt, (José) Berríos, and the sixth starter in Eric Lauer, it’s a pretty deep rotation with a lot of experience. I think they have a chance to go all the way to the World Series, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win it.”

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

“Being around the players. I got to the big leagues in 1969. These kids weren’t even born. I’ve played against and with Hall of Famers throughout my career as a player. Then I moved into broadcasting, and I went kicking and screaming into broadcasting. After you’re a player, anything else pales by comparison. But, once I learned how to broadcast and what it was all about, I think being around the players every day—these are the best baseball players in the world—it just keeps you going, it keeps you young, it keeps you enthusiastic. I look forward to going to the ballpark every single day.”

What’s it like working with Dan Shulman?

“It’s very good. Dan and I worked together seven years early on, before he went to ESPN. He replaced Jim Hughson, who was my partner for a number of years during the ’92 and ’93 World Series. Jim went back to Vancouver to do hockey, and we interviewed Dan. He has become a very good broadcaster. We  finish each other’s sentences now, so it’s a pretty good relationship.”

How would you describe Toronto as a baseball town?

“(The Blue Jays) moved into, at the time, what was Skydome in June of ’89. From that moment until 1994, there were 50,000 fans every night. They sold out every game. So, it proves that in Toronto and Canada in general, there are great baseball fans. They support the team very well. Over the last couple of years, with the renovations, Rogers Centre has become a baseball park. It’s a special park. Fans love it. Everything is aimed at the players, the fans, and the broadcasters. It’s a terrific venue and it’s downtown. People can walk to it. There are probably 800,000 people within a 3 or 4-square-mile area downtown Toronto. So it’s a happening place.”