BOSTON – The always-hot Yankee-Red Sox rivalry gets an a huge jolt of juice today when Roger Clemens collides with Pedro Martinez on the eight-foot circle of dirt in the middle of Fenway Park.
Even though they have met just three times as members of their respective teams, Pedro-Rocket has developed into must-see baseball. Clemens, 38, is the all-time Red Sox leader in victories and a Hall of Fame lock. Martinez, 29, is well on his way to a place in Cooperstown.
Martinez outpitched Clemens in the 1999 ALCS at Fenway, winning a 13-1 laugher that had the Fenway faithful howling. Their game on May 28 last year resulted in a 2-0 Bosox win at Yankee Stadium. When they met again at the Stadium on June 14, Clemens left after an inning with a groin problem that landed him on the DL. Clemens faced the Red Sox in Fenway on Sept. 8 and threw eight shutout innings in a 4-0 win but Martinez wasn’t the opponent.
Clemens never talks the day before he pitches. After refusing to talk about the Yankees Thursday, Martinez relented yesterday.
“I don’t have to face Roger, ever,” said Martinez, who is 5-4 with a 2.64 ERA against the Yankees and 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA in two starts this year. “I wish I did because I would get more outs. I have to face [Derek] Jeter and those guys. Roger doesn’t hit. You know it’s going to be an exciting game because of two power pitchers and two good teams and a great rivalry.”
Speaking Wednesday in Kansas City, Clemens addressed the Pedro Factor.
“We get jacked up to play in Fenway even though it’s Fenway, an old stadium and fun to go into. The fans are passionate about what they come to see,” said Clemens, who is 4-2 in 10 starts against the Red Sox and 97-55 at Fenway. “When I match up against somebody else’s ace, your mistakes have to be very few. You almost have to be mistake-free against Pedro. He is going to have to make a couple of mistakes for us to scratch a couple of runs across.”
While the Fenway denizens were getting ready for last night’s game, which featured Orlando Hernandez against Paxton Crawford, there was a buzz in the air over Pedro-Rocket.
“It’s like a cherry on top, those two guys pitching against each other in this ballpark,” Joe Torre said of Clemens, who is 2-0 with a 4.80 ERA in two starts this season. “He was pumped up Opening Day and I am sure it’s going to be very much like Opening Day for him. He gets revved up for every start.”
Torre was asked if we could expect another classic from the duo today.
“No question, this will take on whatever atmosphere you want it to take on,” Torre said. “It’s one on one, it’s a prizefight. I think this is a heavyweight match, no question.”
Scott Brosius is one of the few Yankees with respectable numbers against Martinez.
He is hitting .296 (8-for-27) against him.