15 things you should know about Pedro Martínez
By Andy Martinez
There was never going to be a celebration on the first off day of the World Series. Even though the Red Sox hold a 2-0 series lead, there’s still plenty of baseball left and, even if the roles were reversed, you wouldn’t see any big party.
Well, unless you’re Pedro Martínez, who is celebrating his 47th birthday on Thursday. “El Grande” was the second Dominicano to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame behind Juan Marichal.
15 Pedro Fun Facts
1. He was born in Manoguayabo a suburb of Santo Domingo, DR.
2. Martínez won three Cy Young awards in his career, one with Montreal (1997) and two with Boston (1999, 2000). He finished second in Cy Young voting in 1998 and 2002 as a member of the Red Sox.
3. Martínez only led the league in pitching wins once – 1999 – when he won 23 games with the Red Sox.
4. He led the league in ERA five times his career: 1997 (1.90) and in 1999 (2.07), 2000 (1.74), 2002 (2.26) and 2003 (2.22).
5. His last game was on Sept. 30, 2009 against the Houston Astros, as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
6. Martínez finished his career with 3,154 strikeouts in 2,827.1 innings pitched.
7. He played for five teams in his MLB career: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies.
8. In his autobiography, Martínez said the toughest hitters he faced were: Barry Bonds, Edgar Martínez, Derek Jeter, Kenny Lofton and Ichiro Suzuki.
9. He made his pro debut with the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter league in the 1989-90 Domincan Winter League.
10. Martínez made his MLB-debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 24, 1992 against the Cincinnati Reds.
11. The first batter he faced was Reggie Sanders, getting him to flyout to centerfield. His first strikeout came three batters later, striking out Tim Costo on three pitches.
12. In a 2017 interview with MLB Network, he said if he wasn’t a baseball player, he would be a doctor.
13. His favorite meal is rice, beans and chicken.
14. In the same MLB Network interview, he stated his favorite teammate was former Red Sox mate Trot Nixon.
15. Martínez said the active pitcher who most resembles him is current Red Sox lefty, Chris Sale.
Featured Image: Jean Fruth / National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum