Passing marks for Pedro
in his 1st spring start
BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Pedro Martinez passed his first spring test with flying colors yesterday, hurling two shutout innings in the Red Sox' 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves at City of Palms Park.
Martinez needed only 29 pitches to get through his outing. He allowed one hit, a ground single through the right side by B.J. Surhoff, and struck out two.
The start represented his first game action since Sept. 7, when he pitched three innings in Yankee Stadium despite rotator-cuff woes. Martinez was able to make only three abbreviated starts after June 26 before calling it quits for the season. His last win was an eight-inning stint against the Yankees in Boston on May 30.
Martinez was smiling after yesterday's start.
"I feel great. That is the best news," said Martinez, who spent the offseason strengthening his upper body, especially the muscles around his rotator cuff.
"I'm really positive. I haven't felt any pain or soreness yet. I'm healthy. My mechanics are getting better every day. I hope I continue to feel the same way. If I do, I'll be fine," he said.
Martinez reached 94 mph on the radar gun, but that wasn't the most important aspect.
"He can be effective at 93-94 because of his location. He has amazing command," said manager Joe Kerrigan, before he was fired. "Speed is only 10 percent of what he does."
"He buckled some people with some high heaters," said catcher Jason Varitek. "His mechanics on the mound were solid. I didn't know how he'd come out (after last year's troubles), but he came out 100 percent."
And maybe best of all, just by going out there and being Pedro Martinez, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, he does a lot of a team's psyche, said Kerrigan.
"Pedro looked like the Pedro of old," said Kerrigan. "His fastball had juice on it, a lot of life, especially up in the zone. His curveball was sharp, especially for this early in the year. And his changeup is always good. Everybody was on the bench for the first pitch, even the guys who weren't playing. There was electricity and excitement. There's no hiding that fact.
"He's a rare athlete. I feel lucky just to be able to watch that," added Kerrigan. "He's one of a kind, like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, whoever you want to compare him to."
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