Editor’s note: NESN.com will reflect on some of Pedro Martinez’s most impressive and most interesting Boston Red Sox moments in the days leading up to his Hall of Fame induction Sunday, July 26, and his number retirement ceremony Tuesday, July 28, at Fenway Park.
Date: Oct. 11, 2003
Location: Fenway Park
Opponent: New York Yankees
Moment in a word: Controversial
This might come as a shock to the newer generations of Boston fans, but there used to be a time when the Red Sox and New York Yankees actually did hate each other.
That certainly was the case during the 2003 American League Championship Series, and Pedro Martinez was right in the middle of things.
Things got tense when Martinez threw a pitch up near the Yankees outfielder Karim Garcia’s head. Garcia and the Yankees dugout took exception, and Garcia’s hard slide on a force-out at second base didn’t do anything to ease tensions.
Neither did Manny Ramirez’s reaction to a high-and-tight Roger Clemens pitch in the next half inning. Clearly already on edge, Ramirez walked out toward the mound at Clemens after the pitch. The benches cleared, and that’s when things really got ugly. Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer charged after Martinez to give him a piece of his mind, which is when the pitcher infamously side-stepped the 72-year-old and tossed him to the ground.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@relayzz
