pedro martinez
___________________________

Sunday, May 12, 2002
Boston Red Sox at Seattle Mariners
Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington

Pedro's Line

Box Score and play-by-play

Thanks to ace, Red Sox save face
Ian Browne, MLB.com

When Pedro Martinez is at his baffling best, it is a sight to behold. But Martinez saves the admiring for his teammates and his fans. What he takes the most pride in is the fact that his job is to be a stopper. As in stopping losing streaks. Stopping the other team dead in its tracks. Stopping his own team from worrying what life might be like for the next four to six weeks, as superstar slugger Manny Ramirez recovers from a fractured finger.

Martinez, Sox master M's: Avoid sweep with 10-4 rout
Michael Silverman, Boston Herald

On a trip that was threatening to end on a very sour note, ace Pedro Martinez reminded everyone that things could be much worse for the Red Sox. It could have been him that got hurt, not Manny Ramirez. After learning they would be without their top slugger for at least a month to a broken left finger, Martinez helped ease the Sox' pain last night.

Pedro restores order as Sox complete 8-2 trip
Sean McAdam, Providence Journal

The news had been dark as the day was sunny here in the Pacific Northwest. The road trip had gone from seven straight wins to back-to-back losses. But if those consecutive defeats cast a shadow on the Red Sox, then the news that their best run producer could be lost until July nearly put them in an eclipse. Who better, then, to reverse their fortunes than Pedro Martinez, merely the best at applying the brakes, particularly when the breaks suddenly aren't going your way? ...

"I think Pedro sensed (the significance of the game)," said Brian Daubach. "From the first inning on, he established his fastball. He put the team on his shoulders. I think he sensed we had to win this game. Obviously, it's only May. But we needed to get our confidence back."

Pedro's Place -- Martinez Improves To 5-0 At Safeco
David Heuschkel, Hartford Courant 

The Red Sox had already sustained one big loss Sunday when they learned that Manny Ramirez would miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured left index finger. So imagine what two losses in the same day would have done? A six-hour flight back to Boston would have felt like 60. And you can be sure the talk radio pundits would be ready to pounce. ... "He had a little demon in him today," catcher Jason Varitek said. ... Martinez struck out a season-high 12 and walked three, improving to 9-0 with an 0.91 ERA against Seattle in his career. The Red Sox are 8-8 at Safeco. Martinez practically owns the place - he is 5-0 with an 0.68 ERA there.

Martinez fans 12 M's in 10-4 win
Jim Street, MLB.com

An errant throw on what would have been an inning-ending out, coupled with a typically dominating performance from Pedro Martinez Sunday night, prevented the Red Sox from being swept by the Mariners for only the second time ever in a three-game series. ... 

Those hoping the red-hot Mariners -- who had won eight of their past nine games -- would beat Martinez for the first time will have to a while longer. The Red Sox ace now owns a 9-0 career mark against Seattle and improved to 5-0 overall this season. "I hope I can continue to have their number," said Martinez. "I don't know what number it is. Is that going to continue to be the same my whole career? I have no idea."

Red Sox win
Gordon Edes, Boston Globe

A trip that suddenly felt longer than the 10 days the Red Sox had wandered from home was brought to a triumphant close by Pedro Martinez, the ace who temporarily took the sting out of Manny Ramirez's absence with a masterful effort against the Seattle Mariners. ... With the mound bathed in sunlight for the first couple of innings and the plate in the shade, Martinez struck out the first four Mariners he faced and hit 96 miles an hour on the TV radar gun, 99 m.p.h. on one pitch according to the gun at Safeco Field.

Errant toss leads to 10-4 loss
Jim Street, MLB.com

The throw was about as routine as a throw gets. Desi Relaford knew that. The Mariners' versatile reserve -- who played third base Sunday night -- grabbed the one-hop grounder hit directly at him, took the ball out of his glove, made sure he had it gripped just right and made a throw that even he couldn't believe he made. "It was just a lapse of concentration and I dropped my elbow," he said.

Ace effort from Pedro
Jim Cour, Associated Press

It's hard to miss slugger Manny Ramirez when Pedro Martinez is pitching like this. Martinez struck out a season-high 12 as the Red Sox began a long stretch without Ramirez by beating the Seattle Mariners, 10-4, last night. ... Ramirez, batting a major league-best .372 with nine homers and 35 RBIs, is expected to miss at least 4 to 6 weeks with a broken left index finger that could require surgery. He leads the AL in slugging and on-base percentage.

Red Sox Notes
Sean McAdam, Providence Journal

The Sox had a brief scare in the fourth when Pedro Martinez tried to go to his right to field a chopper hit by Ichiro Suzuki. "When I pushed out to get the ground ball," said Martinez, "I kind of got a little cramp in my leg. It just got tight." Martinez shook his right leg a bit and tested it before resuming without a problem. "My heart was in my throat for a while there," admitted Little.

Just a little out of joint
Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe

Manny-less in Seattle. Sleepless in Boston. Woe is the Nation. It was all too good, wasn't it? The Red Sox had won nine in a row, owned a 16-2 road mark, boasted the best record in baseball, and held a five-game lead (seven in the loss column) over the hated Yanks. Then, a two-game losing streak in Seattle and Manny Ramirez sent to the shelf for 4-6 weeks with a broken left index finger. Yeesh. You'd think Manny had challenged Babe Ruth to arm wrestle or something.

Making adjustments
Michael Silverman, Boston Herald

With Ramirez out for at least a month and probably more, the Red Sox are expected to make do with Brian Daubach and Nomar Garciaparra platooning in the cleanup spot, Rickey Henderson in left field and calling up an outfielder, possibly Edgard Clemente or Bryant Nelson, from Triple-A Pawtucket.

Seattle Newspapers

Boston has ball in Game 3: Red Sox ace goes to 9-0 all-time against Seattle
Bob Sherwin, Seattle Times 

"I checked Kobe Bryant for three years in high school and he did all right against me, but facing Pedro? I'd rather check Kobe," said Mariners catcher Ben Davis, who hit against Martinez for the first time yesterday. "What he was doing out there today was something to be marveled at. He lived up to his name for sure. He was awesome. Working the ball in and out, changing speeds. Outstanding. That's really the only word I can use to describe him." ...

"We've been hearing talk about how he doesn't have his stuff. He wasn't throwing as hard," said Desi Relaford. "I don't know if he's putting it back together or not, but he had his velocity. His other pitches were working. He was pitching like Pedro. I mean, he can dominate."

Pedro numbs M's again
Kirby Arnold, Everett Herald

After all these years, the Seattle Mariners found themselves in a rare place against Pedro Martinez. They had a lead against the Boston Red Sox right-hander. And like 80-degree May weather in Seattle -- which warmed 45,862 Sunday at Safeco Field -- it wouldn't last. The Mariners, playing like they couldn't make even one mistake against Martinez, ultimately made a flurry of them and it turned four innings of hope into a familiar result.

Martinez masters M's -- Red Sox ace fans 12; Boston raps 16 hits
John Hickey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The only way the Mariners are going to get the better of Pedro Martinez would to be to sponsor an act of Congress, forcing him to torment the National League for the next decade or so. ... One of the few players in the game known universally by his first name, Pedro was supposed to be struggling as he came back from last year's arm miseries. Even Martinez said he is only about 80 percent of the old Pedro. Yeah, right. "The people who want to jump on him and say he's lost something," Mariners left fielder Mark McLemore said, "have never been in the batter's box against him. He's as tough as ever." ... He's 9-0 against Seattle in nine career starts. His earned-run average is so low that by getting one run in eight innings against Martinez, they drove his ERA against them from 0.89 to 0.91.

Martinez continues his mastery over Mariners
Don Ruiz, Tacoma News Tribune

Against old nemesis Pedro Martinez, the Seattle Mariners have little margin for error. When the error came Sunday, it was devastating, helping turn a 1-0 Seattle lead into a 10-4 Boston Red Sox rout at Safeco Field.

Mariners again helpless vs. the automatic man
Art Thiel, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Martinez is as sure a thing over the Mariners as asphalt is over dirt. ... Martinez is now 9-0 against the Mariners. In nine starts. ... Center fielder Mike Cameron gave an attempt at describing what it was like. "You can't hit what you can't see," he said, referring mostly to the shadows that fell over the mound at game time. But the truth was that Martinez and his pitches could have been illuminated by airport runway lights and would still look like aspirins hurled by a ghost.

One constant in baseball
John McGrath, Tacoma News Tribune

We hold this truth to be self-evident: The Nintendo Corp. may bankroll the Seattle Mariners, but Pedro Martinez owns them. And though the Mariners could've improved upon an otherwise glorious spring day at Safeco Field by doing what they do best - turning routine outs into routine outs - there was something strangely reassuring about the way Martinez extended his string of dominant pitching performances against Seattle. He went into the series finale owning an 8-0 career record against the Mariners, with a 0.89 ERA. And to think, he's been even better at Safeco Field, where the right-hander had given up two earned runs in 32 innings pitched.

Pre-Game

Martinez ahead in this matchup -- Seattle always comes up short
Gordon Edes, Boston Globe

The Mariners last season may have won more games than any team in 95 years, but they didn't beat Pedro Martinez in 2001, and they've never beaten him. Martinez will take an extraordinary record to the mound today when he faces the Mariners in a game that begins in the twilight in the Pacific Northwest and will be televised nationally by ESPN. He is 8-0 with an 0.89 ERA against the M's, allowing just six earned runs in 61 innings. ... He has started four times in Safeco Field and won all four, allowing two earned runs in 32 innings. ...

Someone asked Martinez about his contract, which is something of a nonissue, given the uncertain condition of his arm. Martinez's contract ends after next season; the club holds a $17.5 million option on 2004. ... "I'm not thinking about becoming a free agent. I think this team is going to do whatever it takes to keep me here. In reality, yes, next year will be my last year. Whether they want to pick up the option and extend my contract or not, I can easily become a free agent after next year. It's up to them whether I become a free agent or not."

Martinez said he became so discouraged last season, by his own health and the negative atmosphere around the club, he was convinced he wouldn't come back after this contract. "Definitely no. Last year I even thought I wasn't going to come back in the winter. I heard some comments like, 'Pedro's not hurting.' Some of the things really disappointed me. If they were going to continue like that. I even told [former general manager Dan] Duquette I wouldn't want to come back. But he said things are going to change, and they did."

Pedro pitches discussion of his contract
Sean McAdam, Providence Journal

"I'm open to talking, from now on," said Martinez, a day before he was scheduled to face Seattle in the final game of his team's highly successful 10-game road trip. "I've always said it -- I want to finish here."

For now, it's not much of an issue. Martinez is under contract for the rest of this season and next ... After that, the Sox hold an option for the 2004 season, valued at $17.5 million, with a $2.5 million buyout. ... Signing Martinez to a new deal now, before they have to, would constitute a risk of another sort for the Red Sox. Last year, it was discovered that Martinez has some fraying in his right rotator cuff. A winter's worth of conditioning and strength-work has built up the shoulder area and, despite some less-than-successful outings in April, Martinez has not raised further concerns.

Martinez wants to finish career in Boston
Ian Browne, mlb.com

In the most telling example yet of how much the atmosphere has improved around the Red Sox this season, ace Pedro Martinez said emphatically before Saturday's game that he wants to finish his career in Boston. Martinez signed a six-year, $75 million contract in December 1997 that expires following the 2003 season. The Red Sox hold a club option for Martinez in 2004. Barring any health setbacks, the Red Sox renewing that option -- worth $17.5 million -- would seem like a mere formality. Still, Martinez would like to know for sure, and would be more than open to exploring a long-term extension.

"I want to finish my career in Boston, but I want them to let me know," Martinez said. "I am excited, really excited [about the state of the team]. They gave me my first long-term deal."

Gaudy numbers
Sean McAdam, Providence Journal

Pedro Martinez, who starts the road-trip finale tonight in a nationally televised game, has never lost to the Mariners. He sports an 8-0 career mark with a 0.89 ERA. "Thank you for trying to jinx me," joked Martinez when informed of the lifetime numbers. ... Tonight also marks the first time this season that Martinez will pitch with four days' rest. In each of his first seven starts, thanks to off-days and rainouts, Martinez was pitching with the benefit of an extra day between outings.

Pedro extension a matter of time
Michael Silverman, Boston Herald

Pedro Martinez knows there is virtually no chance that the Red Sox will decide not to pick up his option for the 2004 season. Still, that uncertainty, as well as not knowing whether or not the club will extend his contract for the rest of his career, were topics he spoke of with some passion before last night's 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

"Any time they want. Now is the perfect time, actually. It's the only time I've felt sure that the team is headed in the right direction. ... If they had any doubts I was hurt, do you think they should be pitching me? I don't think I have any doubts."

Mom's the word for pros -- Grateful athletes sing their praises
Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe

The Red Sox woke up in the Pacific Northwest in first place this morning, and calls were placed to moms all over the globe. Pedro Martinez, tonight's starter in the nationally televised game at Safeco, called his mom in Hatomayor, Dominican Republic. ... Pedro talks to his mother, Leopoldina, once or twice a week. "She didn't watch us play that much and she never played herself. But she always sacrificed herself for us to go out and play baseball."

Martinez ever the showman
Steve Buckley, Boston Herald

To hardcore baseball fans, tonight's Red Sox-Seattle Mariners showdown at Safeco Field represents Must-See TV - the two winningest teams in the game, with ace of aces Pedro Martinez on the mound for the Sox, and a nationwide audience eating it all up on ESPN.

It'll be huge, right? "It'll be just another game," Martinez said yesterday afternoon in the Sox clubhouse. "I'm an entertainer, and my job is to go out and entertain. And that's what I'll be doing (tonight). ... I actually don't like pitching on TV. I don't like being in the spotlight. I have baseball in my heart. But when I'm out there pitching, it's a business ... Would you like to be on TV? All the time? With chicks digging you and stuff?" ...

The Sox ace also reacted with good humor when he was shown an article in The New York Times asking which pitcher is better - Martinez or Arizona's Randy Johnson. "I don't even have to read it. He is. And that's an honest answer. Because he's been more dominant and more durable and has been in the World Series."

[The article was actually in Friday's Wall Street Journal.]

Back to Log or Home