Call me crazy, but, I felt Pedro Martinez’ performance last night was extraordinary. I will remember it for a long time.
Why? Because Pedro overcame tremendous odds and obstacles to perform as well as he did. Pedro, 38, had pitched only since August, when he joined the Phillies’ rotation. With diminished skills, an 89 mph fastball, and less consistent bite in some of his other pitches, Pedro would have to summon all his creative powers if he was to make it through that lineup of Yankee hitters — one of the best in baseball history. Plus, he’d been sick the past two days.
I was one of many who didn’t think he’d survive long. I thought Yankee hitters would be patient and sit on his fastball. What I didn’t realize was the extent to which Pedro had reinvented himself since I last watched him!
Pedro used his changeup and curve so often and effectively that he fooled Yankee hitters during much of his six-inning outing. His off-speed stuff was so good that his fastball appeared faster to hitters. He kept hitters guessing all night and managed to strike out both Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez twice. That was no easy task for Pedro even back in 2004.
Pedro moved the ball around in the zone and mixed his speeds. He was so careful, knowing he had to be precise with his location, or, he’d get knocked around. I had never seen him throw so much breaking and off-speed stuff for an entire outing, and, likewise, I’d never seen him “fool” hitters by surprisingly throwing a fastball. He’s made a full transformation to a slower, finesse pitcher.
Most of the time, he kept the Bombers off balance. Mark Teixeira hit his home run by waiting for a changeup, but, Hideki Matsui hit his home run by golfing a very low pitch over the short right-field fence. I thought Matsui’s home run was a fluke.
The story would’ve been nicer if Pedro had gotten the win, but the Phillies couldn’t hit A.J. Burnett, anyway.
I had never expected to see Pedro at center stage again. He had lost his effectiveness a few years ago, before having shoulder surgery. Then, even after rehabbing, it wasn’t clear he could regain his form. He considered retirement as he waited to find a team that’d pay him what he felt he deserved. The Phillies were smart to sign him in July, and, I feel we’ve been lucky to see Martinez’ two sharp starts in the playoffs.
I just love watching an athlete defy the odds and the pundits. To me, Pedro did that last night. Many baseball writers and fans overlooked how unlikely it was for him to hold his own vs. the 2009 Yankees.
Whenever a Red Sox pitcher this year (or, in recent years) held the Yankees to two or three runs over six or seven innings, I considered that a very good outing.
I considered Pedro’s outing last night even more special due to all he overcame.
