No beisbol, more mango trees for Pedro by Jared Carrabis
Pedro Martinez says he won't be pitching in 2010


(MLB.com) -- It turns out Pedro Martinez will not be pitching in the Major Leagues this year. But the potential Hall of Famer isn't calling it a career just yet, either. Martinez's agent, Fernando Cuza, told ESPNDeportes.com Wednesday -- less than two weeks before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline -- that his client has opted to sit out the 2010 season, in order to spend more time with his family.

Call me crazy, but I really thought there was a decent chance that the Red Sox would bring back Pedro for one last hurrah.

Have you ever wanted something to happen, but you’re so superstitious that you think that if you think about it, it won’t come true? That’s how I was handling the Pedro situation in 2010.

I knew that he was out there. I knew that the man could still pitch, and with his appearance on Opening Night back on April 4, I also knew that the bridges had not been burned between player and management.

When Pedro was shopping himself around to contenders last year, I’ll admit that I wanted no part. However, I should have known better than to doubt the three-time Cy Young Award-winner.

Granted, these numbers were against the National League, but in nine regular season starts with the Phillies, Martinez was 5-1 with an ERA of 3.63. The right-handed Boston legend had a respectable WHIP of 1.25, and struck out 37 batters in 44.2 innings.

Once in the postseason, Martinez dazzled against Manny and the Dodgers, hurling a seven innings, two-hit shutout.

Back in the World Series for the first time since tossing a seven-inning, three-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, en route to winning his first World Series ring, Pedro faced his nemesis, the New York Yankees.

Martinez, who turned 38 before his first World Series start against the Yankees, didn’t toss a shutout, but he did pitch well enough to win.

Lasting six innings, Martinez allowed just three runs and struck out eight Yankees. The three runs scored on a pair of homers that were classic cases of the new Yankees Stadium being a bandbox. Pedro got tagged with the loss, in a game where the Phillies could only muster one run.

Pedro started the sixth and eventual clinching game for the Yankees in the World Series. The once thundering Phillies offense could only put up three runs in support of Martinez, who allowed four in a losing effort. Despite his five strikeouts, to bring his World Series total to 15 punch-outs in ten innings, Martinez suffered yet another loss at the hands of his “Daddy.”

Regardless of his two World Series losses, he pitched well enough to win, an I thought he was worth a look for the Red Sox down the stretch, who suffered injuries to Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz already.

"This does not mean Pedro is announcing his retirement from baseball, because the possibility that he changes his opinion for next season still exists. But today, he asked that I call the teams that were interested to reveal his decision,” said Pedro’s agent, Fernando Cuza.

I’ve learned not to doubt Pedro, but he’ll turn 39 at the start of this year’s Fall Classic, and will be close to 40 when he claims he will aim a return to the majors. For a guy with a history of shoulder problems, I’m going to have to go ahead and deem this scenario as unrealistic.

Though I wish him nothing but the best, it wouldn’t surprise me if Pedro has thrown his final fastball from atop a major league mound.

-Jared Carrabis

Published on July 21, 2010

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