YESTERDAY afternoon, Doug Mientkiewicz pitched to contestants vying for “The Apprentice,” Donald Trump made a Shea cameo and it felt like the kind of attention-grabbing gimmick the Mets have had to resort to in place of an actual major league team the past few years.
But tonight no publicity stunts are necessary at Shea. Tonight, masters replace apprentices.
John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez start against each other for the second time in 16 days, which means this hovel of a stadium in Flushing becomes baseball Mecca. The Yankees host the Angels on the other side of the Triborough, and for the first time in years, they are the other game in town.
The Yankees may be Titanic, expensive and sinking. But the biggest box office appeal tonight involves a sequel of Star Wars – Smoltz and Pedro dueling at 60 feet, six inches, bringing a touch of October to April.
“If I am a fan I would have to come check this out,” Willie Randolph said.
He is both biased and right. Smoltz vs. Martinez offers a magnetism that moved Atlanta manager Bobby Cox to compare it to Sandy Koufax vs. Juan Marichal. These are not just great pitchers, but artists. They are men who impose their fastballs, intellect, auras and wills on games.
“They both have that rare combination of touch and power,” Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone marveled. “As for imposing your will, the only way to do that is to get results. If you’re not getting results, there is no will to impose. These guys get results.”
On April 10 the duo indulged in a battle as unforgettable as anything you will ever see in the season’s second week. Smoltz carried a 15-strikeout shutout and 1-0 lead into the eighth inning before Carlos Beltran’s two-run homer knocked him from the game and possibly changed the course of this Met season. That the Mets’ 6-1 triumph, their first of the year, was against Smoltz in vintage form mattered.
That it came with Martinez lugging the ball from start to finish on a two-hitter quickly made him a folk hero around these parts; the face of the New Mets.
“This team has had some buzz early in the year, which is nice, and Pedro creates so much of the energy by himself,” Randolph said. “Look, the Yankees always have their fans. But it is nice to have some attention and electricity focused on this side of town. To me, you will be watching the ultimate competitors pitch against each other. This is why you don’t want to miss something like this.”
I know most sequels do not live up to the original, but I do not want to miss this game. I bring my own prejudice. From a distance there have been no other pitchers I have adored watching like Smoltz and Martinez. You can feel their brains and hearts working in games as much as their blessed arms. Both have lost something off their fastballs, yet remain elite because their pitching IQs and competitive DNA are sprinkled on each pitch. Plus their fastballs are still better than most.
“Hey, these guys have more than just something still left in their tanks,” Met hitting coach Rick Down said. “You bring anything less than your A-game against them and it is not going to be enough. No shot.”
Smoltz, 38 next month, is completing a transformation from starter to closer to starter still featuring the power trio of fastball, slider and splitter, but having the ability to pitch at different speeds with his repertoire anywhere within the zone. “I don’t see any difference,” Randolph said of Smoltz then and now.
Martinez remains above average with fastball, changeup, slider and curve, and Chipper Jones said, “If (Martinez) wasn’t (as good as ever), it was awful close.”
They meet again tonight. Flushing is baseball Mecca. The big can’t-miss game in town is at Shea.
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Ups and downs
Tonight’s pitching matchup at Shea between John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez may be marquee in name only, judging by the statistics of the two so far this season.
Smoltz — Martinez*
4 GS 4
0 CG 1
23 IP 29
24 H 11
12 R 7
3 HR 1
5 BB 4
29 SO 38
0-3 W-L 2-0
4.30 ERA 2.17
* – Leads NL in strikeouts (38), batting average against (.113) and walks and hits per inning (0.52).