Most remember Pedro Martinez for his on-field ferocity, the fierce, competitive trait that defined his Hall of Fame career. Take September 10, 1999, Martinez pitched a masterpiece, fanning 17 in a brilliant one-hitter that had the home fans chanting his name at a hostile Yankee Stadium. Then there was the notorious 2003 ALCS brawl where he tussled with 72-year-old Yankees coach Don Zimmer. People saw the fury, the passion, the nearly unsettling will to win. But this public image only tells half the story.
A recent Instagram video from his son, Pedro Martinez Jr., pulled back the curtain on his father’s true foundation. The video poignantly asks, “What did you learn from your dad that you take with you forever?” It then transitions to an old interview with the legendary pitcher. An interviewer asks if the 2004 World Series win finally broke the “Curse of the Bambino.” Pedro’s response is telling. “There’s no curse,” he said gently. “People that believe in God and have God in front of ’em don’t believe in curses.“
The video then showed clips of Pedro Jr. in a training field, featuring the message: “No matter what life throws at you, you can always overcome it with faith in God,” with a red heart emoji.
This theme of faith over circumstance is the core of the Martinez legacy. The video concludes with the biblical verse, “For we walk by faith, not by sight,” and a heartfelt caption from Pedro Jr. He wrote, “The side of him they never showed. Keep the faith. Forever grateful, no matter the circumstances. I will carry this legacy proudly forever.”
This belief in his father wasn’t born in the glamour of the major leagues. It was forged in the poverty of Manoguayabo, a suburb of Santo Domingo. Pedro was the fifth of six children who grew up in a one-room shack with a tin roof. His older brother, Ramón, was his hero and guide. Ramón trained at the Dodgers’ baseball academy, and Pedro followed, holding his bag just to be near the game.
One day at the Dodgers camp, when the 14-year-old Pedro was playing catch with Ramón, the scouts’ radar guns measured his throws at a shocking 78 to 80 miles an hour. The Dodgers were paying attention, and on June 18, 1988, exactly four years after they signed his older brother Ramón, they also signed Pedro as an amateur free agent. Isn’t it prophetic?
However, that initial spark of talent didn’t guarantee an easy path. It was just the beginning of a journey where faith continually conquered doubt.
Too small to pitch, too dominant to ignore
Pedro immediately faced skepticism when he signed with the Dodgers. He was famously declared “too small to be an effective starting pitcher” by Manager Tommy Lasorda, among others. The organization babied him, even threatening fines if he were caught running, thinking his slight frame was too fragile. Although his brother Ramón insisted that Pedro was the more talented of the two, the Dodgers confined him to the bullpen. Even there, he was brilliant. In 1993, he excelled in a short role as a setup man, going 10-5 with a brilliant 2.61 ERA in 107 innings.
The Dodgers’ shortsightedness became the Montreal Expos’ good fortune. Before the 1994 season, they traded the future Hall of Famer in exchange for second baseman Delino DeShields—in one of the worst deals in history. In Montreal, under fellow Dominican manager Felipe Alou, Martinez was finally unleashed. And when given the opportunity to start, he thrived. His coronation came in 1997. He went 17-8 with a minuscule 1.90 ERA and a NL-best 305 strikeouts. He received his first Cy Young Award, a tribute that no Expos player would ever win.
It was in Boston in 1998 that “Peak Pedro” began. His 1999 and 2000 seasons, in the heart of the steroid era, are statistically sublime. He led the league in 1999 with 23 wins, a 2.07 ERA, and 313 strikeouts. And he followed that in 2000 with a 1.74 ERA, earning him a third Cy Young Award. He wasn’t just good; he was a phenomenon. His starts became must-see events for a Red Sox nation.
Pedro’s legacy is larger than numbers. Today, his work lives on in the form of the Pedro Martinez Foundation, which builds schools and creates opportunities for children. And his story serves as a potent reminder that some of the most valiant warriors are also driven by the quietest faith.
The post MLB Legend Pedro Martinez’s Son Reveals Father’s Unseen Trait as He Makes Big Pledge on Family Legacy appeared first on EssentiallySports.
