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It may go down as one of the worst trades in baseball history. Following the 1993 baseball season, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded a young pitcher named Pedro Martinez to the Montreal Expos in exchange for second baseman Delino DeShields. Today, the deal seems like a heist. Back then, it was seen as an even deal.
Pedro Martinez, younger brother of Dodgers' ace Ramon Martinez, was just 21 years old. Rail thin at under 170 pounds and under six feet tall, Pedro had a solid fastball but many doubted his ability to stay strong enough to give a team enough good innings of work each season. He was a relief pitcher with an uncertain future, although he did contribute 10 wins during the '93 season. Needing a second baseman was more of a priority than waiting for Martinez to develop. The Dodgers made the deal.
Since that time, Martinez has blossomed into baseball's best pitcher while DeShields toils elsewhere--basically the same player he was seven years ago and with likely only a couple of seasons left in his career.
However, it hasn't been the Expos reaping the beneifts of the Martinez deal. Montreal helped Martinez blossom as a starting pitcher in the mid-1990s. He became a starter, but gained a bit of a reputation for nastiness. Martinez was tossed out of 12 games during the strike-shortened year of 1994. But there were flashes of brilliance. He had a perfect game against Cincinnati through seven innings, only to lose it after hitting Reggie Sanders with a pitch. The two scuffled and an otherwise masterful performance was sullied.
Martinez did win 11 games in 1994, then almost made history against the Padres the following year. Throwing nine perfect innings for the Expos, he surrendered a leadoff hit in the tenth. He finished the season with 14 victories and the Expos could sense something special was happening.
In 1997, Martinez broke loose. He captured the National League Cy Young award by striking out 305 batters, leading the NL with a microscopic 1.90 ERA and won 17 games. With free agency looming and a pitcher of his ilk destined to score multi-millions from a rich team, Martinez found himself pitching elsewhere in 1998. The Expos traded their star pitcher for a bevy of prospects. It was discouraging for fans of the financially challenged Montreal franchise, which had seen such stars as Larry Walker and Moises Alou also depart for financial reasons.
As good as Martinez was in Montreal, he was even better in Boston. Now maturing into a veteran, he won 19 games and fanned 251 hitters in the 1998 season, becoming an instant fan favorite at Fenway Park. In '99, he enjoyed his best season to date. Pedro went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 313 strikeouts, a career high. He was the starting pitcher for the American League during the All Star game, hosted by the Red Sox. His performance was pure artistry. Martinez struck out the first four hitters he faced and five of six. The effort earned the skinny sensation the All Star MVP award. He topped it with the Cy Young award. Martinez helped the Red Sox into the post-season, pitching in relief during the team's decisive game five victory over Cleveland and then winning one game against the Yankees in the AL Championship series.
In 2000,Martinez continued his dominance of AL hitters. He finished with an 18-6 record, a 1.74 ERA, 284 strikeouts and a second consecutive Cy Young award (his third overall). His ERA in this hitter-dominated era was almost two runs better than runner-up Roger Clemens. In 3 seasons with the Red Sox, Martinez was 60-17. Only Hall of Fame pitchers like Sandy Koufax, Jim Palmer and Tom Seaver own three Cy Youngs and Greg Maddux of Atlanta is sure to join them in Cooperstown.
At 29, Martinez could go even further. His ability to stay injury-free and his excellent mechanics seem to indicate a long, prosperous career. His career win total stands at 125.
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