Note: A Different Kind of Pedro
In his first start of the spring, Pedro Martinez tossed four shutout innings yesterday while striking out four of 15 batters.
…pedro is not as powerful as he once was, but he 
remains successful by using a lethal combination of humility, creativity and self-awareness…for instance, he allowed a bloop single Ivan Rodriguez on his very first pitch of the game…in year’s past he may have been able to reach back and strike out the next batter on a 95–mph fastball…
…yesterday, though, he simply went for the ground ball…got it…and erased pudge’s hit with a double play by Carlos Guillen…nothing fancy…far from powerful…but always effective…
…he knows who he is, and what he’s capable of, he plays to his strengths and continues to be a winner, and that should actually be a lesson to all of us – not just other pitchers…
Willie Randolph talked with reporters after the game about Martinez’s outing, and had the following to say regarding:
…Martinez’s overall day…
“It’s a good day’s work, good outing, that’s all it is for me, man. he used all of his pitches real well, pitched inside, I mean, you’re looking at a pro just going about his work getting ready for the season, that’s what it looked like to me.”
…Ramon Castro’s comments that this is a different Pedro than before, as he has more life on his fastball…
“Well, wasn’t it a couple of days ago that guys were saying that he didn’t have anything on his fastball? Eh, I don’t get in to all of that stuff guys, come on. It just goes to show that when the game starts, when you’re in the game it’s a totally different mindset. you start bringing out radar guns for simulated games and you’re just wasting your time…To me, he just looked like Pedro getting ready for the season, and he looked great to me.”
For more, read the New York Post, Daily News, Newsday, the Journal News, Bergen Record and the Star-Ledger.
