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PEDRO MARTINEZ |
THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
Pedro beats Roy Halladay and the Jays
April 10, 2004 ... Pedro Martinez, who has been peppered all spring with queries about his arm slot, velocity,
and ability to succeed after his 105th pitch, tonight submitted a sweeping response. The Red Sox ace limited the Blue Jays to one run on four hits, two walks, and a hit batsman over 7 2/3 innings as he led his injury-riddled club to a 4-1
victory before an bedazzled 35,305 at Fenway Park.
Outdueling Roy Halladay, the reigning Cy Young Award winner, Martinez mixed his rich array of pitches with a fastball that hit between 87-91 miles per hour to stymie the Jays. These were the same Jays who thumped him for six runs on eight hits, including two homers,
before he could retire a batter in his final exhibition outing in Florida.
Martinez allowed only one of the 29 batters he faced past first base as he struck out seven and otherwise perplexed the Jays. The only Toronto batter to reach second base was Orlando Hudson, who launched a solo homer in the seventh. And Martinez, who last year allowed
batters to hit .364 after his 105th pitch - an issue that dominated hot stove discussions after his role in the Game 7 disaster against the Yankees in last season's ALCS - used his 106th pitch of the game (a 91-m.p.h. fastball) to fan Frank Catalanotto for the second out of the eighth.
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ROY HALLADAY |
While Martinez maintained his public silence afterward, his pal, David Ortiz, whose two-run homer off Halladay provided all the runs the Sox needed, opened a window on why the team's ace has appeared hurt at times this spring: The team has not reached an agreement
beyond this year with Martinez as he approaches free agency.
Manager Terry Francona made clear that as highly as the Sox regard Martinez, they do not plan to allow him to go much deeper than about 105 pitches. So, even though Martinez appeared as strong on his 106th pitch as he did on his first, Francona replaced him with closer
Keith Foulke with two outs and a runner on first in the eighth.
At that, Foulke made his Fenway debut for the Sox and picked up his second save. He allowed only a harmless single.
The Sox set a franchise record with their 66th consecutive sellout. It's the longest active streak in the majors. The crowd of 35,305 was the largest paid attendance at Fenway since 35,444 turned out Sept. 29, 1990. |
