Vintage Pedro

The other day I caught one of those Red Sox classic game replays on NESN. It was a game from August of 2000 when Pedro Martinez one hit the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (as they were then known). It actually took me a long time to come around to baseball, so I don't have clear memories of Pedro in his prime. This performance sure did remind me. He struck out the side about three times. The Tampa batters couldn't even touch him. There weren't even any foul balls. Considering the offensive era in which he played, is there any doubt that Pedro is a hall of famer? Who cares that he doesn't have the 300 wins? The guy has a career ERA of under 3.00, 3000 K's and less than 100 losses over a 17 year career.

Pedro sits now waiting for a job. I'm sure he hopes a contender will pick him up for one last playoff run. But I think he should just ride off quietly and let the career as it stands speak for itself. Pedro may not have the totals that Maddox and Clemens have, but for about a five year stretch he was better than anybody.