New Yorkers catch on quickly. The season is only two months old, and this is already Pedro’s Town.
Omar Minaya dreamed it would be like this. He felt Pedro would win over the Big Apple in no time. Too much talent, too much personality in that wiry body. Too much hair.
“Pedro is not only a Hall of Fame pitcher,” the Mets GM said yesterday. “He’s a personality. New Yorkers, we want personality.”
Every night. Every game. New Yorkers want it all.
The Mets aren’t there yet. They can’t give it every night. But they are moving in the right direction, with Pedro leading the way.
If Pedro is not making the perfect pitch, he’s bowing to Mike Cameron after a circus catch or he’s tiptoeing through the sprinklers with a big smile.
Pedro is Broadway all the way.
When the right-hander takes the mound tonight at Shea against another ace in the Astros’ Roy Oswalt, it will be hot, and there will be about 40,000 fans on hand – on a Tuesday night. Summer is unofficially here. The Mets are only a game out of first place in the crazy NL East.
A night like tonight is the reason the Mets signed Pedro back in the cold of winter.
“You look forward to a night when Pedro pitches,” Minaya said, comparing it to when he watched Vladimir Guerrero. “It’s like when I was in Montreal and Vlady came up to hit. There was nobody in the stands but it was always fun to watch Vlady hit. It’s always fun to watch Pedro pitch.”
When Pedro stood in the Diamond Club that December day shedding his Boston skin, he said he was here to make the Mets winners, and many scoffed. From this vantage point it was noted that Pedro would go from hated Red Sox to New York winner.
Pedro came to the right league, the right ballpark, the team in New York that would let his personality shine, his competitiveness take over.
When Pedro showed up early to spring training, he was making a statement. When he struck out 12 Reds on Opening Day, he was making a statement. When the Yankees and Red Sox met two Fridays ago at Yankee Stadium and Pedro beat the Marlins, 1-0 that same night, he was making a statement.
When he takes the mound tonight, the 400th game of his major-league career, Pedro will be looking to make another statement.
Too old? Too fragile? Forget about it.
Pedro, 33, is 6-1 this season, upping his lifetime mark to an incredible 188- 77 (.709). He is holding opposing batters to a .159 average. Note to Boss: Opponents are batting .260 against Randy Johnson, .299 vs. Mike Mussina, .327 vs. Kevin Brown and .314 against Carl Pavano.
There is personality and production from Pedro. “A lot of people who don’t know Pedro, don’t understand him,” Minaya added. “He’s a very giving teammate.”
Pedro also is one of the smartest players in the game. Jason Varitek, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz know the Importance of Pedro. “Pedro is the guy who kept everything there going,” Minaya said of Pedro’s Boston days.
That leadership came forward with the Mets from the start. Minaya points to a rainy day in Port St. Lucie when Kris Benson, who is 4-2 after Sunday night’s win, watched Pedro pitch on the side and saw the star’s unique approach. A teammate can be the best teacher.
If you get to Shea early tonight, watch Pedro in the bullpen. He doesn’t just throw pitches to get loose. He mimics the game, down to details like wiping his brow, getting the right feel for the baseball and pausing between pitches as he gazes into the stands.
Minaya and his baseball people love to watch Pedro work in his surgical manner. “You try to follow Pedro’s pitch pattern, but you can’t,” Minaya explains. “You expect a fastball in, but you get a changeup away.”
Only Pedro knows. That’s the way it is. After all, this is Pedro’s Show.
This is Pedro’s Town.
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Stat so?
Mets have surely gotten their money’s worth from Pedro Martinez. Here’s how Met righty ranks in some major pitching categories (in MLB/in NL):
ERA
2.62 (12th, 9th)
WIN%
6-1, .857 (5th-tie, 3rd)
OPP. BA
.159 (1st, 1st)
SO
92 (2nd, 1st)
SO/BB
7.67-1 (4th, 2nd)
SO/9 INN.
10.48 (2nd, 1st)
H/9 INN.
5.01 (1st, 1st)