Pedro Martínez

Lore & Background

Martínez's record of 219 wins and 100 losses places him tenth-highest in winning percentage in major league history and fifth-highest among pitchers with more than 2,000 career innings pitched. He ended his career with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.93, among the lowest ever by a pitcher with at least 2,500 innings pitched since 1920. He reached the 3,000 strikeout mark in fewer innings than any pitcher except Randy Johnson and Max Scherzer; Martínez is the only pitcher other than Scherzer or Clayton Kershaw to compile over 3,000 career strikeouts with fewer than 3,000 innings pitched in his career. His career strikeout rate of 10.04 per nine innings ranks sixth all-time among pitchers with over 1,500 innings. An eight-time All-Star, Martínez was at his peak from 1997 to 2003, winning three Cy Young Awards (1997, 1999, 2000) and finishing runner-up twice (1998, 2002). In 1999, he was runner-up for the American League Most Valuable Player Award, after winning the pitching Triple Crown with a 23–4 record, 2.07 ERA, and 313 strikeouts. He recorded the second-lowest single-season Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) in the live ball era (1.39 in 1999), the second-lowest single-season WHIP total in major league history (0.737 in 2000), and the highest single-season Adjusted ERA+ in major league history (291, also in 2000). He helped the Red Sox win their first World Series title in 86 years in 2004. He 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 (45) was retired by the Red Sox.

Reader's Guide

Martínez was born in the Dominican Republic in the Santo Domingo suburb of Manoguayabo, the fifth of six siblings. His father, Pablo Jaime Abreu, worked odd jobs; his mother, Leopoldina Martínez, worked for wealthy families. As a young teenager, he carried his older brother Ramón's bags at a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball camp. He debuted professionally with the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League during the 1989–90 season. He was originally signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1988. He made his MLB debut on September 24, 1992, for the Dodgers. He was traded to the Montreal Expos before the 1994 season, where he developed into a top pitcher. In 1997, he won the National League Cy Young Award. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox in November 1997 and signed a six-year, $75 million contract. He was officially listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg), unusually small for a modern-day power pitcher, and is believed to have been somewhat smaller.

Did You Know?

• Martínez is the only pitcher other than Scherzer or Kershaw to compile over 3,000 career strikeouts with fewer than 3,000 innings pitched.
• He recorded the highest single-season Adjusted ERA+ in major league history (291 in 2000).
• Martínez won the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues, a rare feat shared with Gaylord Perry, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Roy Halladay, Max Scherzer, and Blake Snell.
• He pitched nine perfect innings in a 1995 game against the San Diego Padres before giving up a hit in the 10th inning.