Edgar Martinez has reconsidered his lack of career goals, and found one that could be reached tonight in Boston.
“I’d like to beat Pedro,” he said, smiling thinly.
Pedro as in Pedro Martinez, the man who is a perfect 12-0 in his career against the Seattle Mariners. Not only haven’t the Mariners ever beaten him, they’ve often gone full seasons without scoring on him.
Pedro’s lifetime earned-run average against Seattle: 1.00.
Such numbers fascinate the media and fans, but Mariners hitters insist they don’t think of them at all until the day they face Martinez – or whenever someone in the press brings it up.
“Have I thought about Pedro today?” Ichiro Suzuki asked, repeating a question Thursday. “Not once.”
John Olerud echoed Ichiro, and then puzzled over how he’d done against Pedro in his career.
“I don’t think I ever faced him in Toronto,” Olerud said. “Maybe when I was with the Mets and he was with the Expos, I don’t really know. I can’t tell you if I’ve ever beaten him.”
Martinez, however, knows.
“I’ve never beaten him and I’ve never hit particularly well against him,” Martinez said. “You not only rarely get the same pitch from him in an at-bat, you rarely get the same look in his delivery.
“His motion is very deceptive. You don’t pick the ball up quickly, and
every pitch he throws is a plus pitch. You can’t sit on his curve, or his change or his fastball. They’re all good pitches.”
Bret Boone insisted he’d been on a team – the Atlanta Braves – that had beaten Martinez while he was in Montreal, although he acknowledged that seems like a lifetime ago for both him and Martinez.
“You gear up for Pedro the way you do any great pitcher, and yeah, you expect to beat him,” Boone said. “Every time you face great pitching it’s a challenge. He’s a challenge.”
Steady Eddie: It’s a little mind-boggling, but in the history of Mariners left-handed relievers Eddie Guardado – with eight career saves – is tied for seventh all-time. Norm Charlton holds the record (67), and Guardado’s next save will push him past Arthur Rhodes.
Heating up: After going 2-for-13 on the just-completed homestand, Olerud found his stroke in Cleveland, where he went 6-for-10 in his first two games.
Just resting: Catcher Dan Wilson continues to catch the majority of games this season but will get today off, when Pat Borders starts. It’s not just Wilson’s .303 batting average that makes it tough to take him out of the lineup. In 15 games started by Borders or Ben Davis, the team is 3-12.
By Larry LaRue, The News Tribune
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