pedro martinez
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News Archive for June 1-15, 2002
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June 14, 2002
Stories about Pedro’s start tonight in Atlanta are here.
Manny struggles in return to action
Ian Browne, mlb.com
“They wanted me to go with them to Atlanta but I wanted to go to Pawtucket and get some swings in,” Ramirez said. “This was my idea to come down here and see what I can do.” It didn’t take long for Ramirez to see that he had just the right idea. … Ramirez, who hit third and DH’d for the Pawtucket Red Sox Thursday night, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. [Box Score] [Manny wore #44]
June 13, 2002
Little high on Pedro
Bill Ballou, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
It would not surprise Little if Pedro Martinez has to deal with nagging doubts about his arm for the rest of his career. Even so, the Red Sox manager thinks Martinez will some day return to the form that made him the best pitcher in baseball during his first three years in Boston. Asked if he thinks Martinez will come all the way back, Little said: “I do, and he does, too. He understands that it won’t happen right quick. It might be the second half. It might be next season, but it’ll happen.”
Pedro’s Turn
Ron Chimelis, Springfield Union-News
After last Saturday’s loss to Arizona, Pedro Martinez admitted he was concerned about his physical well-being. Tomorrow in Atlanta, Martinez makes his first start since making those comments, and Little said the right-hander is ready. “He’s fine,” the manager said. Even so, Little doesn’t dispute that Martinez is worried about another serious shoulder injury occurring at any time. “This (fear of injury) he’s going through could last a whole summer, or the fear might be in him for the rest of his life,” Little said. “He still has a lot of confidence in his ability, though.”
Red Sox owners see home field advantage — Fenway lore seen as lure no new park could match
Scott S. Greenberger, Boston Globe
”We’re moving closer and closer to a time in which we can definitively say that we can attempt to renovate Fenway,” financier and lead team owner John Henry said in an interview yesterday on WEEI Radio. ”There’s been nothing brought to our attention that’s acute or dangerous or couldn’t withstand another 30 or 40 years of use.”
Manny moves closer to return — Boston slugger will play four games in Triple-A
Ian Browne, mlb.com
The Manny Ramirez watch has reached the final stage. Beginning Thursday, the Red Sox slugger will play four games for Triple-A Pawtucket. If Ramirez’s left index finger – which was fractured May 11 in Seattle – shows no ill effects from game action, he will rejoin the Red Sox in San Diego Tuesday night, and be back in his customary cleanup spot.
[Cleveland] employee injured in explosion
Associated Press
As the explosion echoed through Jacobs Field, players stopped in their tracks, a few ducked for cover and Philadelphia manager Larry Bowa cringed. … Three men remained in jail Wednesday, pending possible charges, while investigators tried to determine what sort of explosive was set off at Jacobs Field on Tuesday night. Police believe it was a large firecracker thrown from the upper deck … “I looked around for smoke,” [Cleveland] designated hitter Ellis Burks said. “And all the fans got really quiet.” … “It was loud,” [Cleveland] manager Charlie Manuel said. “It sounded like two trucks running together.”
June 12, 2002
Mets: Rocket’s Looking to Duck Say he’s hoping for a way out
T.J. Quinn, New York Daily News
[S]ome Mets think Clemens may find a way out of his scheduled start Saturday for the Yankees at Shea. … “He’s not going to pitch,” one Met said. “He’s waiting for the commissioner’s office to bail him out.” Meaning that many Mets believe Clemens will be suspended for suggesting last week that he intended to hit Barry Bonds with a pitch. “He knew what he was doing,” another Met said. “Roger isn’t stupid. He mouthed off so he’ll get suspended and then he’ll take the suspension this weekend. No way we see him.”
Piazza laughs off showdown
Damon P. Young, mlb.com
The game that all Mets fans have waited for — nearly two years — is now just days away. Saturday. Shea Stadium. Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens standing in the batter’s box. “(Clemens batting) means he has to go three innings, so I don’t know if that’s an inevitability,” Mets manager Bobby Valentine joked Tuesday. “Maybe he’s leading off. I haven’t seen their lineup. Maybe they’ll bat around in the first, I don’t know. But it’s not a definite that he’s going to bat.”
June 11, 2002
Pitchers take BP
Steven Krasner, Providence Journal
Pedro Martinez did not participate. Martinez, slated to open the road trip in Atlanta on Friday, said he wants to hit off a tee a few times first. Martinez is leery of taking BP. When he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1992, his first taste of the majors as a September callup, he suffered a dislocated left shoulder while swatting an inside pitch that was about to hit him.
In twisting out of the way, his left shoulder continued the follow-through with the bat while the rest of his body continued the other way, causing his shoulder to pop out, he said yesterday. Martinez popped his shoulder back in, he said. Martinez, who continued to pitch in a relief role that month but never batted, had postseason surgery to repair ligament damage. The surgery has left him with about a two-inch scar.
June 10, 2002
Doctor not alarmed regarding Martinez
Bob Hohler, Boston Globe
The Red Sox yesterday could do little more than hope Pedro Martinez’s gloomy assessment of his future after Saturday’s 3-2 loss … Martinez wondered aloud if his fragile shoulder would hold up long enough to pitch the second half of the season. Team physician Bill Morgan said after speaking with Martinez that he was ”a little sore” after the outing. … Martinez described the feeling to Morgan as a ”pinching” sensation. But the doctor saw no cause for alarm. “I don’t think it’s unusual to the degree he throws that he’s going to feel some discomfort,” Morgan said. ”He may choose to identify that as a pinching sensation, but you can’t extrapolate that to he’s getting some cuff irritation or something of that nature. His strength is good. His motion is good. I don’t think there’s an issue.” … Martinez acknowledged he has been in ”a bad mood” lately for personal reasons. But he declined to elaborate yesterday on his remarks the day before.
Pedro’s forecast reveals clearing skies
Jeff Horrigan, Boston Herald
Pedro Martinez painted a gloomy picture with his postgame comments after losing his first game of the season Saturday, but Red Sox manager Grady Little said yesterday there is no need to panic. The three-time Cy Young Award winner, who allowed three runs in six innings and lost for the first time since Sept. 7, said he was “lost” and didn’t “even know if I’m going to make it into the second half.” … “Pedro was down after that game,” Little said. “He didn’t want to lose. Sometimes after a ball game like that, you’ll say some things and then talk (the next day) and be totally different. I feel like he’s going to be fine. He’s never been through this before and it’s going to take time.
Martinez says he’s fine, and team doctor agrees
Steven Krasner, Providence Journal
Pedro Martinez sent word to the media yesterday that he was feeling fine the day after suffering his first loss of the year. Team physician Bill Morgan concurred that Martinez appears to be as healthy as any starting pitcher can be, given the fact that he makes his living using his arm to throw a baseball in an unnatural physical motion that puts strain on the shoulder. … Manager Grady Little said that he would prefer that Martinez not pitch if he gets selected to the All-Star team, “but we’ll talk about that when it gets close to happening.”
Pedro Vs. Best Of Rest
Hartford Courant
The true worth of an ace is found when he faces the best. Curt Schilling won 11 of 12 decisions before Saturday, but his matchup against Pedro Martinez in the unfriendly confines of Fenway Park would show just how great the Diamondbacks’ ace really is. The verdict? Yeah, Schilling is real good. … It wasn’t a duel for the ages, but it wasn’t bad. Still, it appears the Pedro of now simply isn’t the Pedro of old.
June 9, 2002
Without ammo, Sox are slow on trigger
Tony Massarotti, Boston Herald
One of the challenges of running any major league franchise is to balance the future against the present, but that dilemma will be especially difficult in Boston this summer. John Henry & Co. inherited both the good and the bad when they took over the Red Sox earlier this year, and those two realities are bound to intersect over the next several weeks. … The Red Sox, like all playoff contenders, will be looking to make additions and upgrades before the end of next month. But given the shortage of talent in their minor league system, they may be hard-pressed to do anything of significance.
On Baseball: No labor of love
Art Davidson, MetroWest Daily News
Thus far it has been a wonderful season for the Red Sox. Considering how well Boston has played it would be surprising only if the Red Sox weren’t a playoff participant. Providing, of course, there are playoffs. Major League Baseball is seemingly headed for another work stoppage.
June 8, 2002
It’s only June, but Red Sox look like the real thing
Bob Dutton, Kansas City Star
Are the Red Sox for real, or are they merely setting up all of New England for another trip to Brokenheartville? Yes, they occupy first place in the American League East. Yes, they’ve won seven of 11 games from their eternal enemy, the New York Yankees. But it’s only June.
June 7, 2002
Sox will get a look at some of the best in West
Gordon Edes, Boston Globe
When Shea Hillenbrand was still finding his way as a minor leaguer with the Red Sox, his wife, Jessica, used to work in an Applebee’s Restaurant in Mesa, Ariz., where the couple still have their home. ”Luis Gonzalez of the Diamondbacks used to stop in there on Sundays on his way to the ballpark,” Hillenbrand said yesterday. ”One day he noticed my wife’s wedding ring, and asked her what her husband did for a living. She never talked about it much, but she told him that I played baseball, and she said I was with the Red Sox and in the minors. He told her to tell me to stick with it, that he’d had a rough road in the minors, and if you work hard, you never know what will happen. I’m going to try to get to him and thank him, because from what I hear, he’s the kind of guy who will remember that kind of story.”
Arrojo trips up Tigers
Jeff Horrigan, Boston Herald
Red Sox manager Grady Little made only one request of Rolando Arrojo when he returned him to the starting rotation in place of struggling Darren Oliver just over a week ago. Little asked the enigmatic right-hander, whose mood and concentration tend to fluctuate on an hourly basis, to shadow Pedro Martinez. Little told him to follow the three-time Cy Young Award winner’s between-starts workout regimen and make it his own. Arrojo readily agreed.
Still no 3-game skid
Bill Ballou, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
The 2002 Red Sox have set a franchise record for going the longest into a season without enduring a three-game losing streak. Yesterday was their 57th game. The 1904 Red Sox, who won the AL pennant, went 55 games before their first three-game losing streak. … Even the 1946 Red Sox, who got off to the best start in team history, had lost three in a row by this point. Their first three-game losing streak came in Games 51-53.
June 6, 2002
Pedro says he’s fine, but doubts linger
Tony Massarotti, Boston Herald
Two days later, after laboring through a first inning in which he allowed four runs to the meek Detroit Tigers, Pedro Martinez yesterday offered a more specific analysis of his difficulties. His right shoulder is fine, said the Red Sox ace, but even he still needs convincing sometimes. The doubt comes and goes. “That game in Toronto (on May 28), when my arm was so-so, really got me worried. But after I got loose it was OK, so the first inning this time was a big test. I’m out there worried and I don’t concentrate. But I’m fine.”
June 5, 2002
Coach won’t question Pedro’s answer
Jeff Horrigan, Boston Herald
Statistics may indicate a potential physical problem with Pedro Martinez, but pitching coach Tony Cloninger believes the Red Sox ace when he says there is nothing wrong with his shoulder. … “I went out there to see if he was hurting and he looked me right in the eye,” Cloninger said. “He not only said he was fine, he said, ‘I know now that my arm is healthy. I’m just making bad location.’ That told me something.” …
Martinez has a 7.50 ERA in the first two innings of his 12 starts and a 1.09 ERA from the third inning on. … The fact that Martinez’ velocity has consistently improved as he gets deeper into games is an indication to Cloninger that Martinez isn’t hurting. “I’m convinced that once the weather warms up and stays more consistent, you’ll see a more consistent Pedro,” he said.
Martinez says he’s OK
Steven Krasner, Providence Journal
Pedro Martinez said that physically, he bounced back nicely from his outing Monday night. He also reiterated that he was fine in that game, even though the radar-gun readings and the results were so-so for his second straight start. The three-time Cy Young Award winner sporadically nudged his fastball over 90 mph Monday night. … Martinez said sometimes he has trouble with tightness in the back of his pitching shoulder that he has to work out at times. … Martinez said he didn’t throw between his starts in Toronto, when he felt weakness in his arm because of the knot, and Detroit, but would throw before his next outing, slated Saturday at home against Arizona’s Curt Schilling …
Playing the slots
Gordon Edes, Boston Globe
Scouts who watched Pedro Martinez Monday night echoed the comments made by Tigers bench coach Felipe Alou, who said he has never seen Martinez with worse stuff than he showed at the outset of that game. ”He was looking for an arm slot – it looked like he couldn’t get his arm up as high as it usually is,” one scout said. ”But once he found a slot he was comfortable with, he did OK.” In his dozen starts this season, Martinez has allowed a dozen runs in the first inning. …
Sox dreams of October cloud June
Lenny Megliola, MetroWest Daily
It is June 5, and too many Red Sox fans, it seems to me, are already seeing October 5 when their no-worse-than-wild-card team is in the playoffs. That would be nice. I’m just not convinced yet. Frankly, I think it’s going too good.
June 4, 2002
Links to stories about Pedro’s start against Detroit can be found here.
June 3, 2002
Martinez, Schilling on line
Jeff Horrigan, Boston Herald
Barring rainouts, the interleague game with the Arizona Diamondbacks will feature a dream pitching matchup between Sox ace Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling.
Castillo’s Impression of Martinez Fools Yanks
Tyler Kepner, New York Times
He stretched his body across the dugout steps. He stood in the sunshine by the railing. He smiled at the fans in the front row. The most important player on the Boston Red Sox seemed to be having a glorious day at Yankee Stadium, where he did not throw a pitch all weekend. Pedro Martinez had four days’ rest, but he did not start yesterday for the Red Sox. Manager Grady Little kept his rotation in order and the journeyman Frank Castillo kept his turn. While Martinez rested his fragile shoulder, Castillo pitched like an ace.
Red Sox gaining credibility — Success against Yankees bolsters confidence
Ian Browne, mlb.com
By taking the rubber match of this three-game series, Boston has taken seven of its first 11 from the Yankees. … Joe Torre: “We’ve both won the same number of games, and if both clubs stay healthy enough, we’re going to be there fighting it out in September.”
If This Is June, Where’s the Swoon?
Vic Ziegel, New York Daily News
It happened again. The Red Sox showed up for another game against the almighty Yankees and forgot to lose. Has the world gone mad? Don’t they know this is June, the worst month of their lives? … [The Yankees are] doing just fine. It’s the Red Sox who still have to prove themselves. … The Red Sox won’t see the Yankees again until the third week in July. No telling how the standings will look by then.
Fossum’s gaffe worth a laugh
Michael Silverman, Boston Herald
Casey Fossum started the seldom-seen 1-2-3 – pitcher to catcher to first baseman – play yesterday. And there’s a reason it’s not seen that often. … With runners on first and second and one out in the ninth inning, Fossum scooped up pinch-hitter Shane Spencer’s slow chopper to the mound. Fossum saw and heard catcher Doug Mirabelli standing at home plate. Rather than turn and toss the ball to second to begin a possible double play, Fossum simply threw the ball to Mirabelli, who made the throw to first in time to get Spencer. …
Fossum said: “It was a slow-hit ball and I didn’t think I could get anyone at second, and I saw Doug with his glove up, but when I threw it, I thought to myself, ‘Wait a minute — there’s no one at third base.’ ”
Joe Torre: “I give Mirabelli credit for not getting hit between the eyes.”
Do sports columnists carry a license for name-calling?
Christine Chinlund, Boston Globe
The issue: Did Dan Shaughnessy go too far when, in his next-day column, he wrote: ”Let us consider for a moment the piece of junk that is Offerman.” … There’s no doubt Jose Offerman would not have won any Memorial Day popularity contests in Boston. His failure to lay down a bunt in the 8th inning was painful – and pivotal. Many fans question whether he is worth his $6.5 million salary. But ”piece of junk?” That, said readers, amounted to bad sportsmanship and was going too far. A sampling …
June 2, 2002
Yanks’ Versatility Is Problem for Red Sox
Murray Chass, New York Times
It was only one game, but the Yankees and the Red Sox demonstrated yesterday why they will almost certainly finish the season in that order. .. the outcome of the division race seems to be already written on the dugout wall. The Red Sox have led their New York nemesis in the East for seven of the season’s nine weeks, but they are having a hard time catching the defending American League champion Yankees.
June 1, 2002
Martinez’ arm gets TLC vs. Yankees
Josh Dubow, Associated Press
Boston Red Sox manager Grady Little isn’t about to take any chances with Pedro Martinez’s fragile right arm even if it means he’ll miss a chance to pitch against the New York Yankees. Little stood by his decision to hold Martinez back a day and pitch him Monday night in Detroit instead of tomorrow against the second-place Yankees.
“We’d like to have him pitch every game against them or play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 162 times instead of these teams. But it’s not going to happen,” Little said before yesterday’s series opener between the Yankees and Red Sox.
Boston’s Pitching Cools Bomber Bats
John Harper, New York Daily News
[A]nyone in the Bronx who dismisses Boston’s 5-2 victory last night as insignificant surely spent too much time sitting in the rain. … It’s time to take Derek Lowe seriously. No one was about to suggest the Red Sox are a fluke anyway, not this late in the season, and not with all the good karma flowing around them for a change. … If you didn’t know better you’d swear it must be the Sox’s year.
Yankees Let One Get by Them
Jack Curry, New York Times
Pedro Martinez danced briefly to a song by the Traveling Wilburys in the dugout to entertain some fans, but most of the players were undoubtedly watching the N.B.A. playoff game between the Nets and the Celtics.
Wells remains unimpressed as ‘beatable’ Bosox outplay Yanks again
Dan Graziano, Newark Star-Ledger
The popular belief, expressed by David Wells and by quite a few loud fans as they exited Yankee Stadium early this morning, seems to be that this will not last. That the Red Sox, regardless of the way they’ve raced out to the best record in baseball, won’t last. “Their day will come,” Wells, the Yankees left-hander, said after taking the loss in Boston’s 5-2 victory last night. “They’re very beatable, they are. And there’s plenty of time.”
Numbers reveal teams not nearing bankruptcy
Doug Pappas, espn.com
Commissioner Bud Selig recently told the Los Angeles Times that without major changes in Major League Baseball’s economic structure, “I would say six to eight [teams] can’t exist another year, another year and a half. We’re talking about the immediate future.” Selig didn’t identify those six to eight teams. Since his announcement, no owners have come forward to declare that their clubs are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, while several of the likeliest candidates have denied they were in financial difficulties.
The Week In Quotes
Baseball Prospectus
“I hear I get a watch, and that’s cool. I need a watch.”
–Adam Dunn, Reds outfielder, on being named NL Player of the Week
Congress Threatens to Leave DC Unless New Capitol is Built
The Onion
Calling the current U.S. Capitol “inadequate and obsolete,” Congress will relocate to Charlotte or Memphis if its demands for a new, state-of-the-art facility are not met, leaders announced Monday.
“Don’t get us wrong: We love the drafty old building,” Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) said. “But the hard reality is, it’s no longer suitable for a world-class legislative branch. The sight lines are bad, there aren’t enough concession stands or bathrooms, and the parking is miserable. It hurts to say, but the capitol’s time has come and gone.”
“If we want to stay competitive, we need to upgrade,” said House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO), who has proposed a new $3.5 billion capitol on the site of the current edifice. “Look at British Parliament. Look at the Vatican. Respected institutions in their markets. But without modern facilities, they’ve been having big problems attracting top talent.”
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