On Wednesday, Pedro Martinez called himself “at times, the most influential player that ever stepped in Yankee Stadium.” It was a bold statement by a bold man, one who has been an integral part of more memorable playoff moments against the Yankees than any player we can remember.
It’s been five years since Pedro has faced the Yankees in the postseason, and six years since his start in Game 3 of the ALCS that became an unforgettable Saturday afternoon at the Fens. The Yankees won the game 4-3, but the talk after the game was about a benches-clearing incident that ended with Don Zimmer sprawled on the grass at Pedro’s feet.
It was a moment Red Sox fans will never forget. Pedro still remembers it just as vividly as we do.
“I'm sorry I'm going to recall this because it was an ugly scene,” Martinez said. “This is probably the first time I'm ever going to talk about it publicly. But when Zim came over to me, I thought he was going to just give me advice or something, just ‘Go, Pedro, you need to slow down or something,’ or try to make it look a little bit different.
“But at that time, I'm going to be honest right now, my shoulder was barking. I was pitching on three days' rest, I think. It was two men on. I loaded the bases with a hit by pitch that wasn't a hit by pitch. The ball hit the bat on Karim Garcia, and Zim charged me, and I think he's going to say something, but his reaction was totally the opposite, was trying to punch my mouth and told me a couple of bad words about my mom.
“I just had to react and defend myself kind of. But the tweak that it took made me look like a monster that just came in to play Yankee Stadium. And you know what? I did go out there, compete, and nothing else. I remember getting back to my dugout and seeing middle fingers. My mom, poor mom. I'm glad she's blessed by God because all those curses were, I mean, unbelievable.
“I remember going back, and I blew up the lead. Yes, I blew up the lead, but I don't regret it. It was a great moment. It was a great game. I competed. I did everything I had to do to actually win a ballgame. Fell short. So what? I'm not the last one. It's not going to be the last one. It's not going to be the first time ever. That's why you go out there, to try to survive a game, win it or lose it. I had the great honor to pitch one of the biggest games that a player has ever played in the whole stadium. And that's a good memory for me to have.
“But I didn't like the tweaking that you guys gave to the whole scenario, because I don't feel like it was my fault. And at that time when I threw that pitch, I was just trying to jam Karim Garcia. But when you're struggling, no, you don't know how it feels. Shoulder barking, it's a hard thing to deal with.”
It’s hard to believe six years have passed since that October afternoon. Hard to believe that Pedro’s been gone for five seasons. He has pitched for the Mets, pitched for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Now, after flirting with retirement, he is back on the game’s biggest stage.
A proud man who knows his place in the game, Pedro refused to apologize for the Zimmer incident.
“Why should I apologize to you guys or come to a press conference and say I apologize for something I didn't intend to do?” Martinez said. “It's a normal human reaction to defend yourself when you feel threatened, and that's what happened to me at that point. I had to defend myself, and I know how. Don't let this small body fool you. I know how. I just don't put it into play.
“I mean, that Zim situation is over with. I didn't feel like I had to apologize at that time, give an apology because I didn't feel like I did anything to apologize. But it's something I'm not happy about, it's something I don't condone, and it's something that I don't want to see in baseball.”
Pedro says this is the only time he’ll ever speak of that day in 2003. The Red Sox stood up to the Yankees that day, and though they lost the game (and, ultimately, the series), it was another step forward in a long journey that culminated in a World Series win five years ago.
Now, Martinez has a chance to put his new team up 2-0. Mick Jagger once sang “time waits for no one,” but somehow, Pedro has found the snooze button on Father Time. He’ll try to go back in time and dominate the team he once called “his daddy” Thursday night in the Bronx.
