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3 Pedro Martinez Moments That Ruined Yankees Fans' Lives

By Steven Kubitza

Former Boston Red Sox great Pedro Martinez played some of his best baseball against the New York Yankees.
Former Boston Red Sox great Pedro Martinez played some of his best baseball against the New York Yankees. / MATT CAMPBELL/Getty Images

Pedro Martinez is a Hall of Fame pitcher who played the best baseball of his career with the Boston Red Sox. Playing in Boston meant plenty of meetings against the New York Yankees, and fans in the Bronx quickly learned to hate Martinez and his devilish demeanor and nasty stuff.

The fiery right-hander had some iconic moments against his rivals, and a few stand out that may still have Yankees fans seething in anger even after all these years.

3. 1999 ALCS Game 3

Pedro Martinez had a dominant performance in the 1999 ALCS.
Pedro Martinez had a dominant performance in the 1999 ALCS. / Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Yankees took down the Red Sox by a series final of 4-1 in the 1999 ALCS. Yet Martinez provided everyone with a glimpse into the future when he dominated the Yankees in Game 3. He was squaring off against Roger Clemens, who got shelled and was knocked out of the game in the third inning. Martinez struck out 12 batters at Fenway, and didn't allow a run in a game that ended in a 13-1 Red Sox victory. He looked like the far superior pitcher to Clemens, and it was the only loss the Yankees suffered that entire postseason.

2. 17-Strikeout Performance

Martinez had already embarrassed the Yankees lineup earlier in the 1999 season, too.. He was on the mound in Yankee Stadium on September 10 and proceeded to strike out 17 batters in a one-hit performance. Andy Pettitte got the start for the Yankees and only allowed two runs through six innings. But that was no match for Martinez, who allowed his only hit of the game in the second inning. This was a crucial divisional game late in the season, and Martinez seemed to get even better when playing on such a big stage.

1. 2004 ALCS Game 5

Pedro Martinez helped the Red Sox take down the Yankees in 2004.
Pedro Martinez helped the Red Sox take down the Yankees in 2004. / Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The 2004 ALCS was a turning point in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. The Yankees famously took a 3-0 lead, only to lose the next four in dramatic fashion. Boston picked up an extra-innings victory in Game 4, and Martinez took the mound in Game 5 after suffering a tough loss in Game 2. He did his job, and only allowed four runs in six innings of work (after the bullpen let him down). The Red Sox tied it up in the eighth and the rest is history. His six strikeouts were not the stuff of legend, but he gutted it out in October against the NYY one last time, and did enough to put his team in a position to win in a do-or-die scenario.