It will be another two years before former MLB pitcher Pedro Martinez will be eligible for induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame. If there was any doubt over whether this guy belongs, it should go away right now. While I do not see how anybody could not see that this man is a Hall of Fame pitcher, some are not totally sold. Critics may say he did not pitch long enough or won just 219 games. That is just a weak argument against a pitcher who was the most dominant in baseball from 1997-2005. Though I think it should never be assumed anybody was not using steroids, Martinez had his string of dominance in the height of the steroid era.
For those who say he only won 219 games, realize he only lost 100 games, pitching to a ridiculous .687 winning percentage. His career ERA of 2.93 was unbelievable when offensive numbers were at all time highs.
Lets focus on the run he had from 1997 (his last year in Montreal) and 2003. Over this time he had a record of 118-36, a .766 winning percentage. Not only that, but he gave up just 344 runs in a total of 1408 innings over that span, which was an average of 49 runs in 201 IP, an ERA which comes out to 2.19. He pitched to a 0.94 WHIP over that seven year period. No pitcher since 1968, the year of the pitcher, has dominated over a seven year period like Martinez did.
In Pedro's return to the Mets in 2007, he notched his 3000th strikeout, finishing his career with 3154, 13th all time. Among the 16 pitchers in MLB history who have recorded 3000 or more Ks, Martinez is one of only three pitchers who have more strikeouts than IP. The other two are Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. In my opinion, he is as much of a first ballot Hall of Famer as Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine are next season.
For those who say he only won 219 games, realize he only lost 100 games, pitching to a ridiculous .687 winning percentage. His career ERA of 2.93 was unbelievable when offensive numbers were at all time highs.
Lets focus on the run he had from 1997 (his last year in Montreal) and 2003. Over this time he had a record of 118-36, a .766 winning percentage. Not only that, but he gave up just 344 runs in a total of 1408 innings over that span, which was an average of 49 runs in 201 IP, an ERA which comes out to 2.19. He pitched to a 0.94 WHIP over that seven year period. No pitcher since 1968, the year of the pitcher, has dominated over a seven year period like Martinez did.
In Pedro's return to the Mets in 2007, he notched his 3000th strikeout, finishing his career with 3154, 13th all time. Among the 16 pitchers in MLB history who have recorded 3000 or more Ks, Martinez is one of only three pitchers who have more strikeouts than IP. The other two are Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. In my opinion, he is as much of a first ballot Hall of Famer as Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine are next season.
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