You could say Pedro Martinez was dwarfed by Jon Lieber.
While Lieber mowed down Boston hitters like a John Deere last night, Martinez came up short during a 3-1 loss to the Yankees.
Predictably catcalled by “Who’s Your Daddy?” chants from a sellout of 56,136, Martinez bookended a rocky start and an inglorious finish to bury his team in a 2-0 series hole.
It was Martinez’ first start against his rivals since the “call the Yankees my daddies” concession speech on Sept. 24. John Olerud’s two-run blast to right with one out in the sixth officially sealed the deal.
Martinez now has lost three straight against the Yanks, but he didn’t seem fazed either by his team’s predicament or the catcalls directed his way.
“You know what? It actually made me feel really, really good,” Martinez said. “I actually realized I was somebody important, because I caught the attention of 60,000 people …
“If you reverse the time back 15 years ago, I was sitting under a mango tree without 50 cents to pay for the bus.”
The Boston righty couldn’t raise his game the way he raised 28-inch buddy Nelson de la Rosa over his head after Boston swept Anaheim in the ALDS.
“I did whatever possible to keep my team in the fight,” Martinez said. “I can’t say I’m disappointed.”
“I think he’ll throw a very, very special game,” Boston manager Terry Francona incorrectly predicted beforehand.
Afterward, Jason Varitek was Martinez’ chief apologist, covering for his batterymate by saying, “He did an excellent job of giving us a chance to win that game.”
He only registered a quality start – barely. Asked if Pedro’s pedigree should make people expect more than three earned runs over six innings, Varitek bristled and said, “All you ask for is a quality outing, and he gave us one.”
Martinez touched 97 mph on the radar gun, a worthless fact considering he might not get another start. He fired fastballs of 94, 94, 94 and 93 mph to Derek Jeter leading off the first, but they were all balls.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner then grazed Alex Rodriguez on the hands with a 94 mph fastball. Gary Sheffield made him pay by connecting on a 94 mph heater into center for an RBI single.
Although Martinez escaped after that, his first-inning pitch count was 26. He stranded Yankees at the corners during a 20-pitch second, at which point he settled down for his only 1-2-3 inning in the third.
With one out in the sixth and Martinez over 100 pitches, Olerud pulled a 1-and-2 Martinez offering into the seats in the right-field corner.
