Pedro Martinez-The best pitcher in baseball

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Pedro Martinez, the best pitcher in baseball.

"Pedro, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens. . . The plate is theirs, you're not going to be comfortable in the batter's box," Slugger Moe Vaughn.

"He's the best I've ever seen. I always said you need four things to be a great pitcher -- location, movement, velocity and deception. He's got all those. Now, you add the intelligence he brings to the mound and we're not talking about a mere mortal here. We're not talking about a normal guy." Hall of fame pitcher Jim Palmer.

Written by Ozzie Gonzalez
Latino Legends in Sports, www.latinosportslegends.com

April 2000 -- His 5'11 inch, 170 pound frame doesn't seem imposing on the mound. In fact, in comparison to other power pitchers in baseball like the Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez is one of the smallest pitchers in the Major Leagues. But don't let the size of this thoroughbred of the Dominican Republic fool you. He packs a powerful fastball and a knee-buckling change-up that has blown away the competition for the past three years.

Just ask "Big Mac" Mark McGwire, who has had his shares of strikeouts against Martinez, how dominant he could be. "He has such great command of all his pitches. You could be sitting 3-1, 3-2 and it feels like 0-2", McGwire said.

Martinez is only the second pitcher in baseball history to have won the Cy Young Award in both leagues. In 1997, while pitching for the Montreal Expos, he went 17-8 and led the league with a 1.90 ERA, was second in strikeouts with 305 in 241 innings and walked only 67-and five of those were intentional.

"You just don't expect a guy weighing 97 pounds to throw 99 miles an hour," said former teammate Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies in a sarcastic way. "He's just very aggressive. I never really watched Bob Gibson pitch, but I get the feeling he's like a Gibson. If he has to throw one under your chin, he'll do it."

Two year later, after being traded to the American League Boston Red Sox, Pedro Martinez dominant way continues in greater fashion as he out-performs his solid 1997 season. In 1999 and 2000, Martinez showed that his past years on the mound wasn't a fluke. In 1999, he led the American League in just about every pitching category and became only the 21st pitcher to win the pitcher's Triple Crown by leading in wins (23), ERA (2.07) and strikeouts (313). Only pitchers like Bob Gibson, Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax and other Hall of Fame pitchers has dominated hitters so thoroughly during their respective baseball careers.

Who could forget at the 1999 All-Star game, when starter Pedro Martinez blew away the powerful N.L home run duo of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa back-to-back. "I'm glad I don't have to face him anymore" said the Dominican slugger Sammy Sosa who plays in the National League with the Cubs. "He's the real deal."

In 2000, Pedro dominated American League hitters again and had a miniscule 1.74 ERA. Something unheard of in modern day baseball. Like in '99, Martinez was award unanimously the Cy Young award. Besides the amazing ERA, Pedro led the league in strikeouts (284), shutouts (4), strikeouts per nine innings (11.8), and opponents' batting average (.167).