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Pedro J. Martinez
Born: October 25, 1971, Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic Height: 5'11" Weight: 170
Bats: Right Throws: Right Position: Pitcher Signed: June, 1988, by the Los Angeles Dodgers #45
Arm yourself
with at least
10 "K's" and a
Dominican flag,
and head to
Fenway every
fifth day... |
| ...because
when Pedro
pitches,
it's not just
a game,
it's an event! |
| "If the Lord were a pitcher, he would pitch like Pedro." - David Segui,
1999 Seattle Mariners |
Pedro's Career Stats
Career stats from baseball-reference.com
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SH | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|
| 1990 | Great Falls | 8-3 | 3.62 | 14 | 14** | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77.0 | 74 | 39 | 31 | 40 | 82 |
|---|
| 1991 | Bakersfield | 8-0 | 2.05 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61.1 | 41 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 83 |
|---|
| San Antonio | 7-5 | 1.76 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 3** | 0 | 76.2 | 57 | 21 | 15 | 31 | 74 |
| Albuquerque | 3-3 | 3.66 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.1 | 28 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 35 |
| 1992 | Albuquerque | 7-6 | 3.81 | 20 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 125.1 | 104 | 57 | 53 | 57 | 124 |
|---|
| Los Angeles | 0-1 | 2.25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
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| 1993 | Albuquerque | 0-0 | 3.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
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| Los Angeles | 10-5 | 2.61 | 65 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 107.0 | 76 | 34 | 31 | 57 | 119 |
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| 1994 | Montreal | 11-5 | 3.42 | 24 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 144.2 | 115 | 58 | 55 | 45 | 142 |
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| 1995 | Montreal | 14-10 | 3.51 | 30 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 194.2 | 158 | 79 | 76 | 66 | 174 |
|---|
| 1996 | Montreal | 13-10 | 3.70 | 33 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 216.2 | 189 | 100 | 89 | 70 | 222 |
|---|
| 1997 | Montreal | 17-8 | 1.90* | 31 | 31 | 13* | 4 | 0 | 241.1 | 158 | 65 | 51 | 67 | 305 |
|---|
| 1998 | Boston | 19-7 | 2.89 | 33 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 233.2 | 188 | 82 | 75 | 67 | 251 |
|---|
| 1999 | Boston | 23*-4 | 2.07* | 31 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 213.1 | 160 | 56 | 49 | 37 | 313* |
|---|
| 2000 | Boston | 18-6 | 1.74* | 29 | 29 | 7 | 4* | 0 | 217.0 | 128 | 44 | 42 | 32 | 284* |
|---|
| 2001 | Boston | 7-3 | 2.39 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 116.2 | 84 | 33 | 31 | 25 | 163 |
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| 2002 | Boston | 20-4 | 2.26* | 30 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 199.1 | 144 | 62 | 50 | 40 | 239* |
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| 2003 | Boston | 14-4 | 2.22* | 29 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 186.2 | 147 | 52 | 46 | 47 | 206 |
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| 2004 | Boston | 16-9 | 3.90 | 33 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 217.0 | 193 | 99 | 94 | 61 | 227 |
|---|
* Led league ** Tied for league lead
What was Pedro's best game? Was it the 6-inning, no-hit performance in the clinching game of the 1999 ALDS? The complete game shutout over Roger Clemens in New York on Memorial Day 2000? The time he threw nine perfect innings for Montreal? Or maybe the wild one-hitter against Tampa Bay in 2000? It's impossible to choose, and hopefully next year will add even more to the list. What we're watching is history. It's only once a generation that a pitcher this special comes along, and for us, it's Pedro. So set the VCR, take the phone off the hook, or call in sick whenever he pitches. You won't want to miss Pedro's next start!
Read about Pedro's Cy Young Awards,
including season wrap-ups and press conference transcripts:
1999 Cy Young Award
2000 Cy Young Award
Blasphemy! In November, 2002, the Cy Young Award was announced, and The Best Pitcher on the Planet was not the recipient. Oakland's Barry Zito led the league in wins (23), but Pedro led in just about everything else. Wins shouldn't be the focus when considering a Cy Young winner, because the rule for awarding a win depends on a lot of team elements like the bullpen or run support that are out of his control. To compare pitchers based on their own ability, it makes more sense to look at stats that depend more on the pitcher himself like ERA, or secondary categories like WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched), or opponents' batting average or OPS. For those writers who only look at wins, it's worth noting that Pedro did win 20 games, and that with only four losses, he led everyone - including Zito - in winning percentage. In the only game in which two of the top three candidates faced each other, Zito lost to Lowe. I'm at a loss to explain how Zito could possibly receive any first-place votes at all. Perhaps after so many years of dominance from Pedro, he's being taken for granted. It's just assumed he'll lead the league in every category, and if someone beats him out in just one area, they must be worthy of a Cy Young Award? I don't understand it.
Here are the stats for the three top picthers, with their American League rank following in parentheses. First, the stats that measure how much they pitched: (It's worth noting that Pedro did not lead the league in games started or innings pitched in any of the other three years that he won the Cy Young Award.)
| | W | W Pct. | GS | IP | CG | SHO | K |
| Pedro | 20 (3) | .833 (1) | 30 (T23) | 199.1 (20) | 2 (T17) | 0 (T35) | 239 (1) |
|---|
| Lowe | 21 (2) | .724 (7) | 32 (T15) | 219.2 (9) | 1 (T32) | 1 (T9) | 127 (25) |
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| Zito | 23 (1) | .821 (2) | 35 (1) | 229.1 (5) | 1 (T32) | 0 (T35) | 182 (T3) |
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And now how well they pitched:
| | ERA | WHIP | H/9 | BB/9 | K/BB | Opp. BA | Opp. OPS |
| Pedro | 2.26 (1) | 0.92 (1) | 6.50 (1) | 1.81 (4) | 5.98 (1) | .198 (1) | .561 (1) |
|---|
| Lowe | 2.58 (2) | 0.97 (2) | 6.80 (3) | 1.97 (8) | 2.65 (14) | .211 (3) | .567 (2) |
|---|
| Zito | 2.75 (3) | 1.13 (5) | 7.14 (4) | 3.06 (T27) | 2.33 (21) | .218 (4) | .626 (4) |
|---|
It looks pretty clear to me!
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| "He's the best I've ever seen. I always said you need four things to be a great pitcher -- location, movement, velocity and deception. He's got all those. Now, you add the intelligence he brings to the mound and we're not talking about a mere mortal here. We're not talking about a normal guy." - Jim Palmer,
Hall of Famer |
Pedro's Awards
2004 World Champion
2002 All-Star
2002 A.L. Pitcher of the month - June
2000 American League Cy Young Award (unanimously chosen)
2000 ESPN Player's Choice Awards A.L. Pitcher of the Year
2000 The Sporting News A.L. Pitcher of the Year
2000 All-Star
2000 A.L. Pitcher of the Month - April
1999 American League Cy Young Award (unanimously chosen)
1999 Associated Press Player of the Year
1999 Thomas A. Yawkey Award (Red Sox MVP)
1999 ESPN Player's Choice Awards Player of the Year
1999 ESPN Player's Choice Awards A.L. Pitcher of the Year
1999 The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year
1999 All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player
1999 A.L. Pitcher of the Month - April, May, June, September
1998 A.L. Player of the Week - August 24-30
1998 All-Star
1997 National League Cy Young Award
1997 ESPN Player's Choice Awards N.L. Pitcher of the Year
1997 N.L. Pitcher of the Month - August
1997 All-Star
1996 All-Star
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Pedro Day
Pedro Martinez joined the Red Sox on November 18, 1997, in a trade for prospects Carl Pavano and Tony Armas, Jr. He had pitched in obscurity for the lowly Montreal Expos for years, and when he arrived in Boston, fans knew very little about his career other than the fact that he had just captured the National League's Cy Young Award. He quickly won over Red Sox Nation, however, with several impressive early-season starts. It didn't take long for fans to realize that every time Pedro took the mound, an exciting game was to follow. When he pitches at Fenway, there is an electricity in the crowd. Fans wave flags from Pedro's native Dominican Republic and hang up "K" signs. We jump to our feet every time he gets two strikes on a batter and boo when the manager walks to the mound to lift him from the game.
Read on for descriptions of several great Pedro Days. Find out about the games you may have missed from early in his career, and relive the ones you've witnessed since he joined the Sox...
September 24, 1992
Pedro's Major League debut, for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched two scoreless innings in relief as the Dodgers lost, 8-4. Six days later, Pedro made his first Major League start in Cincinnati. He pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on only 4 hits and striking out 7, but lost the game 3-1.
April 11, 1993
As a rookie, Pedro was used by the Dodgers as a reliever. He made his first appearance of 1993 on April 11, coming out of the bullpen in relief of his brother Ramon, who had started the game. It was the first time two brothers had pitched in the same game for the same team since 1979. They went on to pitch in the same game 11 more times with the Dodgers. On October 2, 1999, the brothers appeared in the same game for the Red Sox. Ramon pitched six solid innings and Pedro one, as they both made their final tune-ups before the playoffs.
June 3, 1995
Pitching in San Diego for the Montreal Expos, Pedro threw nine perfect innings. 27 batters up, 27 batters down, 9 of them on strikeouts. The Montreal offense was unable to score him any runs, however, so he would have to keep pitching in order to record the perfect game. The Expos finally scored in the top of the 10th inning, but Bip Roberts led off the bottom of the inning with a double, spoiling Pedro's perfecto. Mel Rojas entered the game and retired the next three batters, to give Pedro the win. Pedro became the first pitcher in Major League history to get a win after losing a perfect game bid in extra innings.
August 29, 1996
In a game against his old team, the Dodgers, Pedro faced off against his brother Ramon. It was only the sixth game in M.L. history in which two brothers started against each other. Pedro struck out 12 Dodgers, but Ramon got the win, 2-1.
August 30, 1997
Pedro pitched against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium. His strikeout of Bernie Williams in the 7th inning was his 252nd of the year, setting the Expos' single-season record. The complete game victory made him 3-0 against American League teams in the inaugural season of interleague play. He had previously beaten Detroit on June 14, striking out what was then a career high 14 batters, and Toronto on June 30. All three were complete games, and he allowed a total of three earned runs over the three games. He did not pitch in the Expos-Red Sox series.
April 11, 1998
Pedro made his first Fenway start with the Red Sox. It was the day after the dramatic come-from-behind home opener, in which Mo Vaughn's grand slam capped a seven-run ninth inning. Pedro saw to it that his game was no less exciting, as the Red Sox won 5-0. In the eighth inning, Pedro's strikeout of Seattle's Dan Wilson was the 1000th of his career.
July 15, 1998
Often a matchup between two great pitchers does not live up to its expectations, but this game did. Pedro squared off against Cleveland ace Bartolo Colon, and the game was nothing less than a 1-0 shutout of the Indians. Pedro struck out nine, and the Sox' lone run came on Midre Cummings' solo homer.
May 7, 1999
The game was billed as Mo Vaughn's return to Fenway, but the story became Pedro Martinez as he pitched masterfully. He ignited the sellout crowd into a near-playoff intensity as he struck out a career-high 15 batters, including Mo twice. The Red Sox won 6-0. In his next start, against the Mariners on May 12, Pedro fanned 15 again.
July 13, 1999
Pedro was selected to start the 70th All-Star game, held at Fenway Park, and he did not disappoint his loyal fans. He struck out the first four batters he faced: Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire. It was the first time in All-Star Game history that a player had struck out the first four batters. He also fanned Jeff Bagwell in the second, tying the A.L. record of 5 strikeouts in an All-Star Game. Pedro's stellar performance earned him the game's M.V.P. award.
September 10, 1999
Pedro pitched perhaps the best game of his career. In the middle of the team's longest road trip against their strongest competitors, he took the mound at Yankee Stadium. He threw a complete game one-hitter, facing only one batter over the minimum. Pedro struck out the side in the 5th, 7th, and 9th innings, for a total of 17 in the game - a new career high! He fanned every Yankee who came to bat at least once. In fact, it was the first time in history that the Yankees have ever struck out 17 times in a game! The Yanks only managed to hit one fair ball after the 4th inning, and the Sox won, 3-0.
October 11, 1999
It was Game 5 of the ALDS. Pedro had started Game 1 for the Sox, but had to leave after the fourth inning due to back pain. With their ace hurting, the Red Sox dropped the first two games, and their future looked bleak. But thanks in part to Pedro's brother Ramon, the Sox were able to even the series at two games apiece and head to the deciding game in Cleveland. Bret Saberhagen started the game, and was uncharacteristically wild. He left in favor of Derek Lowe in the second, with the Sox already down 5-2. In the third, Mike Hargrove walked Nomar Garciaparra to load the bases for Troy O'Leary, who hit the first pitch for a grand slam, and gave the lead back to the Sox. But Lowe also struggled, and Cleveland regained the lead. In the fourth inning, with the score tied 8-8, Pedro entered the game. His back was still aching, and he had only thrown a few warmup pitches. The team didn't expect to get more than an inning of work from him. But Pedro was brilliant! He pitched the rest of the game, holding the Indians' mighty offense hitless for six innings. He had more help from O'Leary, who again homered after Nomar was intentionally walked. But Pedro's amazing and heroic performance, continuing to excel in the face of injury, is what won the game, and indeed the series, for the Sox!
May 28, 2000
Pedro faced off against traitorous former Boston ace Roger Clemens in a game at Yankee Stadium. The teams entered the game tied for first in the American League. The game was scoreless through eight innings, but Roger gave in in the ninth, surrendering a two-run homer to Trot Nixon. But Pedro held on to preserve the 2-0 victory in one of the most exciting regular-season games in Red Sox history, regain sole possession of first place for his team, and once and for all establish who is the better pitcher. He later revealed he was suffering from the flu.
August 29, 2000
Pitching in Tampa Bay against the Devil Rays, Pedro hit Gerald Williams to lead off the game. Williams charged the mound, where he was quickly apprehended by first baseman Brian Daubach and the rest of the Red Sox. The Devil Rays thought the HBP was intentional, and kept throwing at Daubach and the Red Sox all night. The Rays ended up with five players, the manager, and two coaches all being ejected, while no one from the Red Sox was tossed. Through it all, Pedro pitched eight hitless innings, only to have the no-hitter broken up by John Flaherty in the ninth. He struck out 13 and finished with a one-hitter.
September 16, 2003
Pedro faced off against the Devil Rays at Fenway Park. Working with a slim 1-0 lead for most of the game, he held the Devil Rays to one hit in the first five innings, and even that batter was erased trying to stretch a single into a double. He gave up a leadoff double in the sixth and a leadoff triple in the seventh, but easily pitched out of both jams. He ended up with a complete game 3-2 win. It was his 100th win with the Red Sox, and with only 28 losses, his .781 winning percentage ranks as the best in Red Sox history.
October 26, 2004
Pedro made his first World Series start, dominating the Cardinals in Game 3. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, and a second-and-third none-out threat in the third. After that, he didn't allow another hit the rest of the way. He finshed with seven shutout innings, six strikeouts, and only three hits, as the Red Sox won 4-1.
Every day Pedro pitches is truly a special day. We can marvel over what he's done so far, but we can only imagine what excitement the next Pedro Day will bring!
Read More about Pedro
2004 World Champions - Pedro Martinez
A look at Pedro's contributions to the best year ever
The Man at Ease
An article by the Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy
1999 Division Series
A game-by-game wrap-up
Pedro vs. Roger, Part II
Relive this special game from May 28, 2000
El Sitio de Pedro Martinez
La pagina de Pedro y sus logros, en espanol
Goodbye and Thank You, Pedro
A fan's blog entry after Pedro signed with the Mets
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