Tonight, the villain comes back for one last scare.
Pedro Martinez will take the Bronx mound in Game 6 donning a Phillies jersey, but with the Yankees hopes in his right hand.
We have been here before. Many times in fact. Martinez has pitched six postseason games against the Yankees, including Game 2 of this World Series, but this feels like the curtain call.
Pedro vs. the Yankees will soon be the stuff of legend.
It all started as a Montreal myth that turned out to be very real. Martinez was a hot shot string-bean righty baffling the NL East and making the Montreal Expos watchable once every five days. With the dawn of interleague play, the Yankees and Expos were matched annually in the mid to late 90's. In a three-game set, the Yankees would win two and Pedro would dominate the other.
He was a fun fascination once a year, but the story took an uncomfortable turn when the Boston Red Sox pulled off the trade that changed their franchise. At the time, we had no idea how big or how funny this trade would turn out to be. On November 18th, 1997, Pedro Martinez was traded to the Red Sox for Carl Pavano.
Remember the context, in 1998, we are right in the middle of the Yankees dynasty and the steroid era. In Pedro's first year in Beantown, the Yankees would win 125 games en route to a World Series. Meanwhile, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa would clout 60+ homeruns, while every big league pitcher cowered in fear. Everyone, save for Pedro.
Martinez went 19-7 with a 2.89 ERA. He was just getting started.
In 1999, he turned it up a gear. To earn his second Cy Young, Martinez went 23-4 with a stunning 2.07 ERA, while striking out 313 batters in just 213.1 innings. For context, David Cone was second on the ERA leaderboard at 3.45. While Martinez and the Yankees would have their first postseason clash in the 1999 ALCS, it was a dud. Pedro dominated the Yankees in Game 3, while New York took the other four games.
Two things to remember about the rivalry at this time: One, the Yankees fans were unbelievably cocky when it came to the Red Sox. Boston had never beaten them in anything meaningful and there was no evidence to see the tides turning.
Second and most important, the fans loved facing Pedro. He was a show unto himself. At 5'11", 170, he was somehow a giant on the mound. He had a blazing fastball, a time-stopping change-up and a knee-buckling curveball. He was the best and he owned it.
Last week, Martinez claimed that he took offense to the idea that New York fans loved to hate him. Lies. He loved to be hated and he knew (and still does) that the fans admired him deep down in their soul. If you loved baseball, how could you not enjoy watching the ultimate pitcher?
But love on both sides was repressed. As the rivalry grew, so did Martinez's feistiness. The Yankees were not hitting Pedro, yet somehow, he was starting to lose. 1-0 or 2-1. The Yanks were great and they did just enough to survive their nemesis until the bullpen blew it or he wore down.
Martinez answered with body blows. In one day game, he sent Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano to the hospital. He pointed to Jorge Posada's head and let him know that he was next. He threatened to drill Babe Ruth, who has been dead for 50+ years. He even beat up an old man (Don Zimmer). The Red Sox finally were the bully in the relationship. Pedro forced his way to the dinner table and his friends (David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon) would eat all the food.
Ironically, as the Red Sox grew in confidence thanks to Martinez, he began a steep decline. In the 2003 ALCS, he had no answers and his shoulder was barking, so he pegged Karim Garcia and incited a near riot. Later in Game 7, he wore down with the game on the line and watched as the Yankees celebrated at his expense.
Finally in 2004, the Red Sox overcame their demons, but with no help from Pedro. He lost Game 2, left Game 5 trailing and was hammered in relief in Game 7 of the ALCS. Martinez was never one to hide his feelings, which led to the infamous "the Yankees are my daddy" quote and the still circulating "Who's your daddy?" cheer.
The curse was reversed, but Martinez's career was left in tatters. The media (as they always do) blamed his psyche, but his shoulder had simply given way. Pedro pitched four humbling years with the Mets.
And now he returns again. He was great in Game 2, but on the losing end. With Game 6 fast approaching, Martinez gets the ball. He has his last chance to crush Yankees spirits, while New York waves goodbye to their favorite enemy.
It's a sports karmic battle for the ages. Who deserves the last laugh? The bully or the "Evil Empire". From a karmic standpoint, probably no one. But I can assure you this, we're headed for some great theater.
