Pedro Martinez, Boston Red Sox, June 14, 2002 v. Atlanta

pedro martinez
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Friday, June 14, 2002
Boston Red Sox at Atlanta
Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia

Pedro’s Line

Box Score and play-by-play

Red Sox go south in trip opener — Millwood outduels Martinez
Bob Hohler, Boston Globe

Some of his signature heat has vanished. But not his heart. Or the years of wisdom he has knocking around his head. … The loss dampened the start of a nine-game march through Atlanta, San Diego, and Los Angeles for the Sox as they tried to protect their fragile lead in the American League East, which narrowed to a half-game over the Yankees. The Sox dropped to 25-7 on the road and, perhaps more importantly, to 6-7 in June. …

“He was not the dominant pitcher that we’re used to seeing,” said Chipper Jones … “But I will say this. He’s pitching. He’s having to mix everything up a lot more. He’s to a point where if he falls behind 2-and-0 you’re not getting a fastball, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Pedro at 80 or 90 percent is better than everybody else.”

Sox Run Into Road Block — Martinez Goes 8 Innings In Loss
David Heuschkel. Hartford Courant

According to the scoreboard that registers the velocity of pitches, Pedro Martinez’s fastball did not exceed 93 mph Friday night. The one he threw Gary Sheffield in the eighth wasn’t even close. Ahead 0-and-2, Martinez was poised to put the [Atlanta] slugger away. A couple of years ago he probably would have. But this is 2002, and it’s obvious Martinez no longer has the ability to reach back for that little extra. You don’t have to play in the American League to see that.

Pedro shines in Sox loss
Phil O’Neill, Worcester Telegram & Gazette Staff

Pedro Martinez reassured Red Sox Nation that he’ll pitch and pitch well the rest of the season despite losing a heartbreaking, 2-1 decision to [Atlanta] last night.

Sheffield slips win past Pedro
Guy Curtright, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

[Atlanta’s] biggest crowd since opening day came out to see the National League’s hottest team against the American Leaguers with the best record. The 48,922 at Turner Field certainly got their money’s worth Friday night. .. “I don’t think he could have pitched a much better game,” Boston manager Grady Little said of his ace.

Despite sharp Pedro, [Atlanta] top[s] Sox
Keith Parsons, Associated Press

Pedro Martinez pitched too well to worry about losing consecutive starts for the first time in nearly four years. … “I’m looking forward to the next game,” Martinez said. “If I pitch the way I did tonight, I’ll win more than I lose.”

[Atlanta] edge[s] Red Sox in opener
Mark Bowman, mlb.com

As the series opener proved, runs will be at a premium this weekend at Turner Field. Gary Sheffield’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning off Pedro Martinez scored Rafael Furcal with what proved to be the decisive run in [Atlanta’s] 2-1 win over the Red Sox on Friday night at Turner Field.

[Atlanta] outduel[s] Martinez, Red Sox in series opener: Bad end to a good start
Michael Silverman, Boston Herald

For Pedro Martinez, last night was a strong start from a starter who needed exactly that.  … In what was a beauty of a pitching duel, [Atlanta] did just enough to win while the Red Sox didn’t do enough against Kevin Millwood (one run on three hits in seven innings), Chris Hammond and John Smoltz (20th save).

Pedro suffers second straight loss
Ian Browne, mlb.com

After suffering a loss in consecutive starts for the first time in nearly four years, Pedro Martinez wasn’t lost for words Friday night. … “That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Martinez said of a crisp game that took only two hours and 21 minutes. “Whoever executes better and hits the best is going to end up getting the win. Today they did. It was a good game. (Kevin) Millwood pitched a good game and did the job. Nothing I can do but tip my hat and let it go. All I can say is I tried and they just beat me.” … The last time [Pedro] lost two starts in a row was Sept. 8-14, 1998.

[Atlanta flies past Pedro, Red Sox
Steven Krasner, Providence Journal

The game came down to one eighth-inning mano-e-mano confrontation. Boston’s Pedro Martinez versus Atlanta’s Gary Sheffield. And Sheffield won the battle, lofting a sacrifice fly to the fence in left, just a few feet fair. Sheffield’s RBI snapped a tie and gave [Atlanta] a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Martinez and the Red Sox at Turner Field last night.

Disclaimer comes with ace’s acclaim
Karen Guregian, Boston Herald

These days, the performances now come with an asterisk. For instance, Pedro Martinez last night delivered his A* game against [Atlanta]. In other words, we pretty much got the best the swagger-less, uncertain, confidence-lacking, Wonderland-living Pedro has to offer in a 2-1 loss to the National Leaguers.

Difference in the ace is striking
Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe

His has been a crisis of confidence. The strut is gone. There’s no more “bring back the Bambino and I’ll drill him in the ass,” or “If you break into my house I will shoot you.” That’s over. Pedro Martinez once was like Mike Ditka. Now he’s like Mike Dukakis.

Zip from pitcher
Bob Hohler, Boston Globe

Pedro Martinez, flailing his red bat, went 0 for 3 at the plate, whiffing twice and grounding out to second. “I’ve got no chance,” Martinez said. “It seems like I’m lost out there. It’s been so long since I’ve swung the bat.” His only consolation? Atlanta’s Kevin Millwood went 0 for 2 with a whiff. “I don’t think Millwood was doing better than I was. We were on the same level.”

Millwood shuts down Red Sox
Mark Bowman, mlb.com

Kevin Millwood is sick of hearing people ask him if he’s back to the dominant form he showed in 1998 and 1999. But if the [Atlanta] 27-year-old right-hander continues to turn in performances like he has recently, there will be plenty of people ready to say Millwood has finally regained the form he possessed in his first two years as a member of the Atlanta rotation.

Millwood outduels Martinez
Bill Zack, Athens Banner-Herald

The doubts will linger every time Kevin Millwood goes to the mound. Which Millwood will show up? The righthander of 35 wins during 1998-99, or the lost soul of 17 wins the last two years? Millwood took another big step out of the shadows of doubt Friday night by shutting down the major league’s best offense, limiting Boston to one run on three hits in seven innings as  [Atlanta] knocked Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez off his pedestal, 2-1, before a packed house (48,922) at Turner Field.

Pre Game

Call to arms — Boston looks for solid pitching against Atlanta
Ian Browne, mlb.com

To build on their sizzling 25-6 road start — the best in team history — the Red Sox will have to take down a smoldering [Atlanta] squad. [Atlanta has] won eight of their last 10 and are in the kind of stretch Boston has been in a few times this season. … Manager Grady Little will send out his three best pitchers in this series. Ace Pedro Martinez (7-1) is up first, taking on Kevin Millwood Friday night. … “We expect him to be on the mound long enough to go 0-for-3 and leave the game with a lead,” said Little, whose team will have to play by National League rules this weekend and forfeit the DH. “He’ll be stretched out to 110, 115 pitches. He’s feeling good and if the innings are going to our liking, I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t go that many.”

Ace needs to get out of this hole — Little: No added pressure on Pedro
Bob Hohler, Boston Globe

Pedro Martinez (7-1), will enter tonight’s game against Atlanta’s Kevin Millwood (3-5) winless in his last three starts. [T]he Sox await the misfortune of facing Greg Maddux (6-2) tomorrow and Billerica’s Tom Glavine (11-2) Sunday before they head across the continent. … Manager Grady Little said he does not expect Martinez to quickly overcome the fears about his health. ”This thing he’s going through, it could last the whole season,” Little said. ”You can talk to other pitchers who have been through similar situations, like Curt Schilling. It takes a while. This kind of fear might be in him the rest of his life.”

Pedro watch continues
Ron Chimelis, Springfield Union-News

Pedro Martinez starts against [Atlanta], surrounded by the usual questions that have dogged almost every Martinez start for the past two years. Is Pedro healthy? Does he believe he’s healthy? Will he dominate with a double-digit strikeout performance, or will he labor through good innings and bad, wondering if last year’s shoulder problems are coming back?

Pedro’s worth the wait: Ace, Sox deal with struggles
Tony Massarotti, Boston Herald

He spent more than three full seasons burdened with the unrealistic hopes of an entire region, so maybe it is only fitting that Pedro Martinez now rides along as a passenger. The Red Sox just take turns driving while their inimitable ace searches for reassurance in the journey that is the 2002 season. Next stop: Wonderland.

Now ‘batting,’ Red Sox pitchers
Karen Guregian, Boston Herald

When asked about the prospects of stepping into the batter’s box tonight and hitting in a game for the first time in three years, the Sox ace responded by pulling open his T-shirt collar and revealing a scar on his left shoulder. Martinez needed reconstructive surgery on his non-pitching shoulder after a batting practice mishap when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1992. … Martinez hasn’t recorded a plate appearance since 1999 … “I don’t miss (hitting), especially after I popped my shoulder out,” said Martinez, a career .098 hitter (25 hits in 255 at-bats). “The one thing I like to do is bunt.”

Sox pitchers ready to slink up to the plate
Tom E. Curran, Providence Journal

In five years of interleague play, Red Sox pitchers are a cool 5-for-86 (.058). Last season, they went 2-for-22 with three successful sacrifice bunts. The only hits were a pair of singles — one by Hideo Nomo, the other by Tim Wakefield. Both came against Montreal.

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