76 Facts About Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martinez reached the 3,000 strikeout mark in fewer innings than any pitcher except Randy Johnson, and is the only pitcher to compile over 3,000 career strikeouts with fewer than 3,000 innings pitched; Martinez's career strikeout rate of 10.

An eight-time All-Star, Pedro Martinez was at his peak from 1997 to 2003, establishing himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history.

Pedro Martinez dominated while pitching most often in a hitter-friendly ballpark and facing some of the toughest competition during the steroid era, which is generally thought to have favored batters.

Pedro Martinez's dominance, reflected by modern statistics, has led many to consider Martinez as one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history.

Pedro Martinez was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015 in his first year of eligibility, joining Juan Marichal as the second Dominican to be enshrined; his number was retired by the Red Sox in a ceremony, two days after his Hall induction.

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Pedro Martinez grew up in the Dominican Republic in the Santo Domingo suburb of Manoguayabo.

Pedro Martinez was the fifth of six siblings living in a palm wood house with a tin roof and dirt floors.

When Pedro Martinez was old enough to work, he held a job as a mechanic.

Pedro Martinez did not have enough money to afford baseballs, so he improvised with oranges.

One day at the camp, Ramon Pedro Martinez clocked his 14-year-old brother's pitches at between 78 and 80 miles per hour.

Pedro Martinez was originally signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1988.

On June 3,1995, Pedro Martinez pitched nine perfect innings in a game against the San Diego Padres, before giving up a hit in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Pedro Martinez was the first right-handed pitcher to reach 300 strikeouts with an ERA under 2.

The MVP result was controversial, as Pedro Martinez received the most first-place votes of any player, but was omitted from the ballot of two sportswriters, New York's George King and Minneapolis' LaVelle Neal.

Pedro Martinez finished second to Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, by a margin of 252 points to 239.

In 1999, Pedro Martinez became just the 9th modern pitcher to have a second 300-strikeout season, along with Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Rube Waddell, Walter Johnson, Sam McDowell, JR Richard, Steve Carlton, and Curt Schilling; Schilling would later add a third 300-K season.

An anomaly in power pitching annals, Pedro Martinez is the only 20th-century pitcher to notch 300 strikeouts in a season without being at least six feet tall.

Between August 1999 and April 2000, Pedro Martinez had ten consecutive starts with 10 or more strikeouts.

Pedro Martinez averaged more than 15 strikeouts per nine innings during his record 10-game streak.

Pedro Martinez was named the AL Pitcher of the Month in April, May, June and September 1999—four times in a single season.

Pedro Martinez punctuated his dominance in the 1999 All-Star Game start at Fenway Park, when he struck out Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Jeff Bagwell in two innings.

Pedro Martinez later said that the 1999 All-Star break was especially memorable for him because he was able to meet the members of the MLB All-Century Team and get an autograph from Ted Williams.

Pedro Martinez was a focal point of the 1999 playoffs against the Cleveland Indians.

Boston won the next two games to tie the series, but Pedro Martinez was still too injured to start the fifth and final game.

Unexpectedly, Pedro Martinez neutralized the Cleveland lineup with six no-hit innings for the win.

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Pedro Martinez struck out eight and walked three, despite not being able to throw either his fastball or changeup with any command.

Pedro Martinez gave up only 128 hits in 217 innings, for an average of just 5.

All of Pedro Martinez's losses were quality starts, and he pitched eight or more innings in all but one of his losses.

Pedro Martinez received two runs or fewer of run support in 10 of his starts, in which his ERA was a minuscule 1.

Pedro Martinez struck out 58 while walking six, and allowed 17 hits.

Pedro Martinez became the first pitcher since the introduction of the Cy Young Award to lead his league in each of those four statistics, yet not win the award.

Pedro Martinez came in third for the 2003 Cy Young Award, which went to Toronto's Roy Halladay.

Pedro Martinez pitched effectively in the playoffs, contributing to the team's first World Series win in 86 years.

Pedro Martinez earned the win in game 2 of the ALDS against Anaheim, in the ALCS he recorded his only loss of the postseason as well as a no-decision.

Pedro Martinez again finished second in AL strikeouts, and was fourth in that winter's Cy Young voting.

Seven-year contract he received from the Red Sox had been considered a huge risk in the 1997 off-season, but Pedro Martinez had rewarded the team's hopes with two Cy Young Awards, and six Top-4 finishes.

Pedro Martinez slipped in the corridor, injuring his hip, and his promising season curdled.

Pedro Martinez underwent surgery which sidelined him for most of the 2007 season.

On November 3,2006, Pedro Martinez stated that if he could not return to full strength, he might end up retiring after the 2007 season.

On September 3,2007, Pedro Martinez returned from the disabled list with his 207th career win, allowing two earned runs in five efficient innings and collecting his 3000th career strikeout, becoming the 15th pitcher to do so.

Pedro Martinez became just the fourth pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts with fewer than 1,000 walks.

Pedro Martinez joined Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson to become the third 3,000-strikeout pitcher to have more strikeouts than innings pitched, and is the first Latin American pitcher to have 3,000 strikeouts.

Pedro Martinez's unexpectedly strong finish in 2007 raised hopes, but 2008 was a lost season for Martinez.

Pedro Martinez later told reporters he'd felt a "pop" in his left leg.

Pedro Martinez was diagnosed with a strained hamstring and did not return to action for more than two months.

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Free agent, Pedro Martinez did not sign with a major league team during the winter.

Pedro Martinez pitched six scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts and no walks, but the team was quickly eliminated from the tournament and no MLB contract was forthcoming.

On January 24,2013, Pedro Martinez joined the Boston Red Sox as a special assistant to general manager Ben Cherington.

Pedro Martinez was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in January 2015 with 91.

In 2015, Martinez was hired by the MLB Network as a studio analyst and released an autobiography, Pedro, which he co-authored with Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.

On February 1,2018, Pedro Martinez was announced as part of the 2018 induction class for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Pedro Martinez allowed a leadoff single in the ninth inning, breaking up his no-hitter, and was removed for reliever John Wetteland.

Three years later, in 1997, Pedro Martinez had a one-hitter against the Reds; the one hit came in the 5th inning.

The Expos scored a run in the top of the 10th, but Pedro Martinez surrendered a double to the 28th batter he faced, Bip Roberts.

Pedro Martinez officially recorded neither a perfect game nor a no-hitter.

Pedro Martinez was selected as the starting pitcher for the American League All-Star team in 1999.

Pedro Martinez struck out Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, and Sammy Sosa consecutively in the first inning.

Pedro Martinez then struck out Mark McGwire leading off the 2nd, becoming the first pitcher to begin an All-Star game by striking out the first four batters.

Pedro Martinez then proceeded to strike out Jeff Bagwell while Williams was caught stealing.

Pedro Martinez faced just 28 batters while striking out 17 and walking none.

Pedro Martinez struck out 12 Yankees in seven scoreless innings and allowing just two hits, to beat Red Sox nemesis Roger Clemens and the New York Yankees in Game 3, handing the World Champions their only loss of the 1999 postseason.

Pedro Martinez finished 1999 with a streak of 17 scoreless innings in the playoffs.

Pedro Martinez had begun the night by hitting the leadoff batter, Gerald Williams, in the hand.

Pedro Martinez then retired the next 24 hitters in a row until allowing Flaherty's single, and finished with a one-hitter.

Pedro Martinez had 13 strikeouts and no walks in the game; the Flaherty single would have broken up a perfect game, if not for the leadoff hit batsman.

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Later, Pedro Martinez claimed that he was not indicating that he would hit Posada in the head, but that he would remember what Posada was saying to him.

In 2009, Pedro Martinez stated that he regretted the incident but denied being at fault.

Pedro Martinez wrote in 2015 that the altercation with Zimmer was his only regret in his entire career.

Pedro Martinez was on the mound for Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS versus the Yankees.

Pedro Martinez was visited on the mound by manager Grady Little, but was left in to pitch, in a controversial non-move.

Pedro Martinez shut out the St Louis Cardinals through seven innings, recording his final 14 outs consecutively in what would turn out to be his last game for Boston.

Pedro Martinez threw from a low three-quarters position that hid the ball very well from batters, who have remarked on the difficulty of picking up Pedro Martinez's delivery.

Additionally, Pedro Martinez threw three different types of fastballs - a straight high-velocity four-seam fastball he used to overpower hitters, a two-seamer that ran to his throwing arm side, and a cut fastball that ran away from his throwing arm side - each with the pinpoint control that defined him.

Pedro Martinez continued to use a curveball, a circle changeup, and an occasional slider.

Baseball historian Bill James described Pedro Martinez as being substantially more effective than his pitching peers due to his variety of pitches, pitch speeds, pinpoint control, and numerous modes of deception.

Pedro Martinez has another son, Enyol Martinez, and a daughter, Nayla Martinez.