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The name's Ben Heck. I am 17-years old, and about to start my senior year at Queen Anne's County High School in Centreville, MD. I stand at 5 feet 8 inches and weigh 140 pounds. I am a Marylander, but I have been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan my entire life (my dad is from Pittsburgh).
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Do We Even Care Anymore???
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I would really like to know why the media (ESPN) keeps going on and on about how much better the New York Mets pitching staff will be when Pedro Martinez makes his long awaited return, which in fact, took place last night against the Florida Marlins in Miami. Don't they understand that Pedro is not going to ever be back in his 2003 form, when he posted a 2.22 ERA in 29 starts? Pedro hasn't had a legitimate season since 2005, when he managed to win 15 games in his first season in New York.
Since then, he hasn't been the Pedro of old, meaning his ERA skyrocketed, and his win totals have dramatically dropped. Pedro started just 23 games in '06, his second season as a Met, and went 9-8 with a 4.48 ERA.
On May 26th, 2006, during a game against none other than the Florida Marlins, Pedro was asked by umpires to change his undershirt. Pedro slipped in the corridor as he was on his way to change, and messed up his hip. No one noticed he was hurt right away, but gradually, Pedro's great start was wiped out by the injury. From June 6th on, he went 4-7 with a 7.10 ERA, with 2 different trips to the DL (a right calf injury took two months from his season).
On September 30th, the Mets announced that Pedro had a torn rotator cuff, which was just 3 days after an MRI revealed that he had torn muscle in his calf. Pedro underwent surgery on his rotator cuff which took away most of his 2007 season, as well.
After returning from the DL on September 3rd (of the 2007 season), Pedro won his 207th career win. In the same game he recorded his 3,000 career strikeout. Pedro finished 2007 with a 3-1 record, and a 2.57 ERA, and for a little while, it appeared as though Pedro was back for good. Martinez continued with his rehab this offseason, and was hoping for a nice, strong return with the Mets, but all hope was crushed earlier today, as he had another MRI after yesterday's start.
Pedro's MRI revealed a strained left hamstring, and will most likely miss a few games before he attempts another comeback. In yesterday's start, Pedro pitched just 3.1 innings before he left the game after grabbing his hammy after a pitch. In the 3.1 IP, he gave up 4 ER, 2 HR, and struck just one guy out, giving him a 10.80 ERA, Florida had a 4-0 lead when Pedro left the game. The Marlins ended up winning the game 5-4 in 10 innings after RP Matt Wise gave up a solo HR to Florida's Robert Andino. *Note: That was the 44th time Pedro Martinez has given up two or more HR's in a single outing.
So, as asked in the title of the article: Do we even care if Pedro makes a legit comeback??? My answer is no. He obviously just hurt the Mets chances in this game, giving up 2 HR's, had Pedro not been pitching, I think NY could've won this game. I just don't think Pedro will be able to even go 5-6 innings in a single start. In fact, it may take him 2-3 starts to go 5-6 innings. He just isn't as durable as he used to be. Pedro's getting old (now 36-years old), he is much too injury-prone. My advice to Pedro: Retire now, I believe you're already a HOF candidate.
Breaking News: Just a few moments ago, ESPN announced that Pedro will miss some time, 4-6 weeks to be exact. That's it Pedro!!! Your career is over.
