Few pitchers have cracked the code when it comes to retiring J.D. Martinez.
The Boston Red Sox slugger has one of the best batting averages in baseball thus far, all while crushing one home run after another. His emphasis on preparedness has been well-documented, which begs the question: how do you get him out?
While there is no clear-cut answer, Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez has an idea.
The Red Sox legend shared on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni & Fauria” how he would approach Martinez if he had to face him.
“You try to bust him in, but you have to keep him honest,” Martinez said. “I wouldn’t locate pitches in the same area to a guy like that, I would keep him guessing when it comes to location. You have to figure out what really hurts him. I’m not going to say it out loud, really, because I want J.D. to continue to do his thing.
Martinez, who, of course, was one of the most dominant pitchers in his era, was sure to make clear that Martinez wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
“But I would just keep him guessing, I wouldn’t let J.D. beat me if I was pitching against him,” Martinez said.
The Sox slugger has shown no signs of slowing down, so it certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea for opposing pitchers to heed Martinez’s advice.
