Dominican Aces: Celebrating Juan Marichal And Pedro Martinez
Today we look back on the historic careers of two Hall of Fame pitchers.
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Pregame Pepper - Juan And Pedro
Leading Off
Dominican Aces: Celebrating Juan Marichal And Pedro Martinez
By Bill Pruden
In the midst of Hispanic Heritage Month, it is only fitting that we take a look at a pair of Hispanic icons, two of the finest pitchers to ever peer down from a mound, Dominican Republic natives and Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Pedro Martinez.
Born in 1937, Juan Marichal had the misfortune of being the ace of the San Francisco Giants staff at a time that Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson were turning in seasons for the ages in the 1960s. Indeed, despite leading the National League in wins, innings pitched and complete games, and shutouts twice each Marichal never won a Cy Young Award, when during four of his best years he was overshadowed by historic seasons crafted by Koufax and Gibson.
Yet the hard-throwing right-hander, known for his high kick, a wide variety of pitches, and release points, in fact, won more games in the 1960s than any other pitcher. Indeed, by all accounts, Marichal compiled a record that would likely have earned first-ballot induction into the Hall of Fame were it not for the controversial incident in 1965 when a frustrated Marichal, believing that Dodger catcher John Roseboro had thrown the ball back to the mound far too close to his own head, turned and attacked Roseboro with his bat. The attack resulted in Roseboro getting 14 stitches and was an enduring stain on Marichal’s reputation. Marichal would later be nothing but contrite and apologetic, and he and Roseboro subsequently forged a deep friendship that embodied the power of forgiveness and redemption. In fact, Marichal served as an honorary pallbearer at Roseboro’s funeral.
But yet there can be no denying that the incident delayed his well-earned induction into the Hall, that honor not coming until 1983, in the third year of his eligibility and with the full support of Roseboro. Timing notwithstanding, it was totally deserved for there could be no doubt that Marichal’s body of work represented a career of pitching artistry that was nothing but Hall-worthy.
Over the course of 16 seasons, the Dominican Dandy as he was sometimes called, won 243 games while losing only 142 with an ERA of 2.89. In the seven seasons from 1963 to 1969, he won over 20 games six times with a high of 26 in 1968. A workhorse who could be counted on to take the ball every fourth day, in that same span only twice did he have less than 20 complete games and those two seasons saw him at 18. Similarly, during five of those seasons, Marichal pitched more than 290 innings. He pitched a no-hitter in 1963 and was selected for the All-Star game nine times. Twice he was the All-Star Game winning pitcher and he was its Most Valuable Player in 1965.
While he won 18 games for the pennant-winning 1962 Giants he had to wait until 1971 for another post-season appearance. And he was the winning pitcher in the 1-0, 16-inning, 1963 duel with Warren Spahn that many have called the greatest game ever pitched. In a decade, the 1960s, that saw some of the best pitching the game has ever witnessed, the National League’s undisputed pitching big three consisted of Koufax, Gibson, and Marichal, even if the San Francisco right-hander sometimes seemed to be toiling in the shadows of his more celebrated compatriots.
The greatness of Pedro Martinez on the other hand was fully recognized during his career and his election to the Hall of Fame came in his first year of eligibility. But only after he had silenced those who doubted he had the physical makeup of a big-league pitcher. Indeed, while he was listed officially at 5-11, 170 pounds, far smaller than the usual power pitcher, many believed him to be smaller than those “official” numbers, making his career accomplishments all the more remarkable. And what a career it was.
The 20-year-old Martinez debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1992, appearing in two games and pitching eight innings. Serving primarily as the team’s set-up man, Martinez went 10-5 the next year as his 65 appearances included only 2 starts. And at year’s end, he was traded to the Montreal Expos, where, under the tutelage of manager Felipe Alou, Martinez made a few adjustments to his grip on his fastball and the results were transformative. The hard-throwing right-hander quickly blossomed into one of the game’s superstars, posting numbers that rank him among baseball’s all-time greats.
When he retired after the 2009 season his career mark of 219 wins against only 100 losses placed him fourth in winning percentage in MLB history, and was the highest such achievement by a right-hander since the dawn of the modern era. His 2.93 earned run average earned him sixth place among those with at least 2,500 innings pitched since 1920. And the undersized power pitcher joined the 3,000-strikeout club in fewer innings than any pitcher except Randy Johnson.
Martinez won the first of his three Cy Young Awards with the Expos in 1997, starting a run that went through 2003 in which he was unquestionably one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history. During that stretch, he won the Cy Young Award in 1997, 1999, and 2000 and was runner-up in 1998 and 2002. Five times he was the league leader in ERA and his winning percentage and strikeouts lead the league three times each. In 1999, he was the American League Most Valuable Player Award runner-up after winning the pitching Triple Crown with a 23–4 record, 2.07 ERA, and 313 strikeouts, while becoming only the second player up to that point to win the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues, as the Expos, rather than losing him to free agency, had traded Martinez to the Boston Red Sox after the 1997 season.
Yet for all the numbers there was something more, an electricity to Pedro on the mound that made his every start “must see baseball.” Among the performances that come most quickly to mind was the nine perfect innings he pitched against the San Diego Padres in 1995 as an Expo. The Expos scored in the top of the 10th and after Martinez gave up a hit to the Padres lead-off hitter, Alou turned to the bullpen which sealed the win. While officially it was neither a no-hitter nor a perfect game Martinez had pitched an undisputed gem. So too was his historic effort in the 1999 All-Star game at Fenway Park where, after Red Sox hitting legend Ted Williams was feted by the current generation of all-stars, Pedro offered a pitching clinic, striking out the side in the first and then the lead-off batter in the second. While the number five hitter reached on an error, Pedro closed things out with a fifth strike-out while the runner was erased trying to steal. And of course, the one-hitter he threw in 1999 against the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium, as well as his Game 5 effort in the 1999 ALDS, when, with the season in the balance, Pedro came on in the fourth and threw six hitless innings to allow the Sox to move on are all part of the Martinez lore as is his central role in the Red Sox curse-busting 2004 Championship run.
While both Marichal and Martinez finished their careers with final seasons that saw them at less than their dominating best, the excellence of their peak years could not be diminished, nor could their impact on the game, especially at home in the Dominican Republic. When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983, Marichal became the first native of the Dominican Republic to be so honored and Martinez’s induction in 2015 doubled the country’s pitching membership while showcasing the dynamic and historic duo. Indeed, while different in many ways, Juan Marichal and Pedro Martinez crafted careers that made them nothing less than inspirational models for those anyone—wherever they may be from--who loves the game and cherishes its history.
Bill Pruden is a high school history and government teacher who has been a baseball fan for six decades. He has been writing about baseball--primarily through SABR-sponsored platforms, but also in some historical works--for about a decade. His email address is: courtwatchernc@aol.com.