The greatest Red Sox pitcher of our generation entered the
Baseball Hall Of Fame today in Cooperstown, NY.
Pedro Martinez became just the second native of the Dominican Republic to enter the Hall—along with
Juan Marichal, who entered 32 years ago (and also briefly pitched for the Red Sox). Of all Pedro's great moments in
Carmine Hose, perhaps the most memorable was in a game that
didn't count: the
1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park. Your humble scribe was lucky enough to be in attendance with my Dad on that glorious night. It was 'payback' for my father taking me to the other Midsummer Classic at Fenway—back in 1961. Pedro struck out the first four batters in the National League lineup (
Barry Larkin,
Larry Walker,
Sammy Sosa,
Mark McGwire)—the first pitcher in MLB history to begin the All-Star Game striking out the side. Perhaps the best example of his dominance was the 2000 ERA title. His 1.74 ERA was almost two full runs better than the runner-up (
Roger Clemens at 3.70). Of course, his relief performance in the 1999 LCS against the Indians and his supremacy in the 2004 post-season are the crowning achievements that we remember as well. Congratulations, Pedro!
