Pedro Martinez, distinguished hurler of the Boston Red Sox, has posted 16-9 record with a 3.90 ERA, for a team that recently clinched a spot in the postseason. Yet, Martinez is a frustrated man, witnessing the worst season of his career, despite occasional brilliance reminiscent of the pitcher of old.
In nearly one campaign, his legendary 2.58 career ERA has risen 12 points, and with another season or two of this performance, he'll be nearing 3.00 and wondering if anyone will remember his exploits at all -- given that 300 wins seems out of reach for the soon-to-be 33-year-old right-hander, and that's all we seem to consider for truly great pitchers.
At his peak, when his fastball consistently clocked in the mid-to-high 90s, there has never been a finer pitcher, anywhere, anytime. From 1997-2003, ole Fine China (knowledgeable observers might pick up the meaning of such a lightheartedly derogatory nickname) dominated his position like none before, eclipsing, in terms of relativity, the exploits of even Walter Johnson and Lefty Grove.
Even today, all one has to do is glance at the cumulative figures: adjusted ERA, winning percentage, strikeout/walk ratio, and WHIP. However, many of those records or otherwise high marks are predicated on Pedro's prodigious output in the last few years -- leaving them only to fall or prove more easily discredited in the future.
For a time, particularly following a gem outing in Oakland (September 8), it seemed Pedro Martinez had righted the ship as it were; this was, after all, the same pitcher who had posted a sizzling 2.26 ERA in 2002, despite a horrific opening day start. Yet, his last four starts, especially the two against those pesky, disciplined hitters from the Bronx have unhinged the three-time Cy Young Award recipient -- never was this more evident following his Friday (September 24) defeat at the hands of the New York Yankees.
His former masterful moments opposing New York (one-hitter in September '99; handed the Bombers their only playoff defeat that year; defeated Roger Clemens in a 2-0 May '00 classic; pitched seven scoreless innings on 25 April of this year) decidedly buried in the wake of a 13 runs/12.1 innings stretch, Martinez openly questioned his own ability to beat the Yankees. True, some of this stems from the nightmarish late innings of Game 7 of last year's ALCS, but this is not a positive sign from the purported ace of, by the records, baseball's third best team.
Not merely that, but for the first time in a decade, Pedro Martinez has been outpitched by someone on his own staff, perhaps further riling the ego of this temperamental star. The addition of Curt Schilling, another (and still) slayer of Joe Torre's ballclub, was supposed to provide the Red Sox with an insurmountable one-two punch analogous to Randy Johnson-Curt Schilling (for the Arizona Diamondbacks) in 2001.
Schilling has been spectacular, but beyond his hypothetical Game 1 start in the ALDS, there is little consistency for a team that should figure in the World Series mix. Worse, Martinez will likely finish with his highest innings pitched total since his first year for the Olde Towne Teame (1998). Why is this negative? Because Pedro remains one of the more injury-prone star pitchers in major league history, owing in no small part to his below six-foot, wiry frame -- and as they alluded to on his SportsCentury profile, no one knows which pitch will be his last.
How much, truly, can the regime of Terry Francona push the creaky and tapered-over right arm of this future Hall-of-Famer before it's over?
After the conclusion of matters in October, the Boston Red Sox will be forced to choose between re-signing their disgruntled ace at a premium price, hoping 2004 was an outlier, or cutting him loose, gambling there will be no Roger Clemens '97-esque showing in New York next season. However, the Clemens of '96, as Peter Gammons of ESPN and others have pointed out, furnished a 20-strikeout game against the Detroit Tigers and performed far better in the second half of the season -- whilst ole Fine China is simply showing the signs of fatigue.
I do think the man is to be afforded great credit; he has been written off numerous times, none more so than his injury-plagued season of 2001, and after one prominent columnist wrote, "A Eulogy for Pedro," the 1999 All-Star Game MVP promptly won the next two ERA titles (2002-2003). However, until further notice (such as a career-defining game against NY or whomever), Martinez must be considered a great pitcher in name only, as he records his outs more by guile and reputation than his once-sizzling repertoire of pitches -- none more relevant than the fastball.
Despite the lack of a ring on his finger, Pedro Martinez has proven a tougher pitcher than even the beloved and renowned Los Angeles Dodger southpaw of the 1960s, but his career is at the crossroads. In order for his legacy not to be besmirched by lackluster (for him) campaigns, he may desire a change of venue; a privilege every Sox partisan should gratefully afford him, pending a triumphant return to glory in the 2004 MLB Playoffs.
If Pedro Martinez can return to his clutch form one final time and deliver the No. 38-No. 45 bulwark for Boston, he will have taken part in a dynamic duo that led the Sox to the championship, just as G. H. Ruth and Carl Mays accomplished -- a mere 86 autumns ago.
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