'Wise' Pedro Gets Phils' Game 2 Nod

LOS ANGELES -- This is why Pedro Martinez picked the Phillies. He said he had offers from other big league teams during his nine-month job search, but he didn't sign with any of them because he didn't want to merely pitch in the majors, he wanted to have a shot to pitch again in the playoffs.

And here he is.

A future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Martinez will make his first postseason start since the 2004 World Series when he takes the ball for the Phillies in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Friday.

"I had the opportunity with some other teams, but I didn't consider those teams to be contenders, and I was right," Martinez said. "None of the teams that were offering me a job are in the playoffs right now. So I was wise in some ways to wait and wait for the right team and wait for the right situation."

The rebirth of Martinez's career will hit a climax, coincidentally, on the same mound where his career began 17 years ago. Back in 1992, Martinez was a slender young Dodgers pitcher with an explosive fastball and a repertoire of dazzling pitches.

"None of the teams that were offering me a job are in the playoffs right now. So I was wise in some ways to wait and wait for the right team."
-- Pedro Martinez Four teams, three Cy Youngs and one World Series championship later, Martinez, 37, is back as a reclamation project. Thought to be too old and fragile, Martinez went unsigned throughout the first half of the season before signing with the Phillies at the All-Star break.

He showed just flashes of his old self with the Phillies, going 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts.

Martinez threw 130 pitches in a Sept. 13 game against the Mets and had to come out of his next start with what was described at the time as a neck injury. Martinez explained on Thursday that he had actually popped a rib, something doctors told him can happen from something as inocuous as a sneeze.

"After adjusting my rib and putting in back in place, I felt fine," he said.

He was scheduled to start in the division series against the Rockies but the snow-out of Game 3 allowed the Phillies to skip him. Now, Martinez is going to pitch for the first time since Sept. 30. The two-week layoff is potentially troublesome, but manager Charlie Manuel said he saw enough in Martinez's two-inning simulated game on Tuesday to pick him, over J.A. Happ and Joe Blanton, for the Game 2 assignment.

"He was throwing the ball very good," Manuel said. "As a matter of fact, he was throwing pretty hard, and his command was good."

Manuel also cited Martinez's experience and his fondness for Dodger Stadium – although, what pitcher doesn't like pitching here? – in his decision.


Martinez wasn't as satisfied with his work in the simulated game, but he said everything will be better by the time the game starts on Friday.

"It was a tough day," Martinez said. "We had just landed from Colorado in Philadelphia. I only got like three hours of sleep and you back onto the field. The cold weather over there in Colorado, we didn't get to stretch very well. I didn't get to throw at all. Everything was working against me that day. But here the weather is a lot more comfortable. So I'm expecting better results."

Martinez did not pitch against the Dodgers this year. His last time facing Los Angeles was June 6, 2006, with the Mets. Among the players likely to be in the Dodgers starting lineup, the only ones with any significant history against Martinez are Rafael Furcal (6 for 25, .240) and, of course, Manny Ramirez (5 for 30, .167). Ramirez and Martinez were mostly teammates with the Red Sox.

"Nobody can say 'I know how to pitch Manny,'" Martinez said. "Manny is such a great hitter, and he's someone that makes adjustments as he sees the game develop. You know, I have a very good relationship with Manny. We are actually like brothers. But we're both professionals and we belong to different teams...Once the game is over, I hoipe he comes over and gives me the same real hug he always gives me and the same jokes.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre saw plenty of Martinez when he was managing the Yankees and Martinez was in Boston.

"You don't try to beat Pedro, you just try to outlast him," Torre said. "You need your pitcher to match what he does, because he's such a great competitor, knows how to pitch, and has a variety of stuff. But it's going to be strange, that's for sure. Both of us over here in the National league, where we both started."