AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RED SOX v YANKEES

October 16, 1999

Pedro Martinez

PEDRO MARTINEZ: Well, in the first inning I had exactly what I had the whole game, nothing. (Laughter.) A whole bunch of grinders out there picking me up and just God making me able to throw the ball because I didn't feel good at all. All I keep praying was that the guys keep me up and guys score a bunch of runs and God will keep me healthy enough to just throw the ball over and probably spot it, that was probably my best stuff today, spotting the ball. I didn't have a fastball. I didn't feel like I had a good breaking ball. Or good changeup at all. I just managed to spot well and I don't know, mix them in there, see what happens.

PEDRO MARTINEZ: You know what, in Cleveland, even though I know the reason why I felt like I felt, I felt like I was better than today. Today I was aching. I felt it from the get-go. I just keep praying to God that I was able to keep throwing without hurting anymore or breaking anything, just, you know, feel the soreness in there and the pain and some of the pitches, but just be able to do it again and again and I did it for seven innings and it was good enough. My team picked me up big time.

PEDRO MARTINEZ: I have no doubts that we were going to completely shift from what happened in New York to playing a game here. It is completely different. We feel more confident here. We had more rest which I think was the key for them to win those games over there. I guess the carry over from Cleveland and the travel the last two months catch up to us over there in New York. We were a little bit fatigued. Now we had a day rest. We are home. We are more confident. We know our field. This game brings a lot more confidence and I think that was the key and I have no doubting moment that we were going to have a shift.

PEDRO MARTINEZ: I am not saying I am out of it. I am not saying -- I am just telling you exactly how I felt and I don't think that if you were the one hurting like I am hurting you won't be pitching unless you have the heart like I do or you are me, you go out there and pitch because I am hurting and I am not lying. I am going to do it again and I am going to try to do it again and whatever I have, I am going to take out there and if I tell you that, I mean that by fact. I don't think it is nearly as good as it could be. Forget about these pitchers you see out there. I don't feel like I have my fastball like I should, neither my changeup or my breaking ball. I am just telling you from my feelings. I don't know what they look like. I haven't seen the pitches. So what I am telling you is how I felt.

PEDRO MARTINEZ: Well, I approached them, you know, with respect. I know that everyone of them is a really good hitter, very professional, so I had to pretty much just mix my pitches and try to catch them guessing wrong and hit the spots. That was the key, hitting the spot. When they were looking for changeup, I threw a little cutter in. When they were looking for breaking ball, I was throwing a little sinker away. I bet you I didn't throw 98 miles an hour. My fastballs could be clocked at 97. Hardest I could probably throw today was 89 and I haven't seen any of my pitches.

PEDRO MARTINEZ: I thought I was going to feel better, but it wasn't really. It wasn't really like I expected to feel. So I guess I have to work harder and keep digging in there because I didn't feel better this time than did I in Cleveland.

PEDRO MARTINEZ: I have known it from the first time I got hurt in Cleveland. I am not going to get better just one day to the other. I strained my muscle back there and I have a hard time to rest. I have a hard time to read it right. I am just out there with God in front of me and my teammates. I mean, I am not hiding anything. I am hurting. I am hurting in every pitch I throw, but, you know, I manage to do it somehow and I am not going to quit on doing it until I know I am not getting anybody out. If the team needs me tomorrow and I can give them one out, I am going to try to do it. It don't matter how much I hurt. If I can throw the ball over, and get one out to get the team to win a game, I am going to do it. That is what I am here for.

PEDRO MARTINEZ: Breaking ball that I kind of flipped over. It was a slow one, a big one and it looked high from the angle I delivered it, but it fall right in the middle and Knoblauch was running away like it was a fastball up and in. I looked at the pitch. The pitch was right down the middle. Might have been a little high or -- umpire did a great job -- but it looked so good that it was funny that Knoblauch was running away (Laughter.) Because it could have been called a strike too. It could have been either way, either a ball or a strike, and nobody had to complain about it. And Knoblauch was running like it was a fastball to his head. I started laughing, but it was just, you know, funny to see his reaction to the pitch.