PORT ST. LUCIE – Pedro Martinez made such a dazzling spring debut yesterday, he left Mets GM Omar Minaya raving about the performance.
Minaya was particularly impressed by a sequence Martinez pitched against Miguel Cabrera, gushing over the veteran right-hander’s masterful strikeout of the Tigers slugger. Martinez got ahead two strikes on Cabrera in the third inning, fired two fastballs out of the zone, then threw what Minaya called a “nasty” and “vicious” pitch Cabrera chased for strike three.
“It was a changeup,” Minaya said of the out pitch, “but it’s a Pedro changeup.”
There was essentially nothing bad about the first 2008 appearance for the 36-year-old. He tossed four shutout innings against the Tigers in the Mets’ 7-4 split-squad win at Tradition Field, allowing four hits and striking out four.
Martinez’s debut was delayed thanks to a rainout on March 6, but he looked ace-like on the mound. He threw 39 of his 58 pitches for strikes and faced just three batters in three of his innings (helped by two double plays).
“I don’t know about anybody else,” Martinez said, “but I’m happy with the results and happy about just getting out there and facing some real hitters and getting it out of the way.”
Ramon Castro, who caught the first two innings, said Martinez had better velocity than in the past.
“He’s [throwing] harder than the last two years,” Castro said. “His changeup’s still the same, nasty. . . . Cutter, the same. His velocity’s harder. Location was great. Different Pedro.”
Before the game, Martinez wore a towel draped around his neck, resembling a heavyweight prizefighter entering the ring. When it came time for the top of the first, he jogged out to the mound, immediately gave up a leadoff single to Ivan Rodriguez, but just as quickly got Carlos Guillen to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
Martinez wrapped up a scoreless first, then got into trouble in the second by putting three of the first four batters on with a double, an infield single and a walk. It turned out to be a bases-loaded tease for the Tigers.
Martinez zipped in a fastball to catch Ramon Santiago looking for the second out (“It just came out of the sleeves,” the pitcher said.) and got Freddy Guzman to hit into an inning-ending groundout.
After surrendering a leadoff single in the third, Martinez whiffed Guillen as part of a strike-out, throw-out double play, then struck out Cabrera.
Martinez said he wasn’t thrilled with his curveball (though it “normally comes later,” he said), but he threw a beauty to Magglio Ordonez to open the fourth. He eventually whiffed Ordonez with a cut fastball and wrapped up his outing with a 1-2-3 frame, lightly pumping his fist afterward.
“I’m very happy with the way I’m feeling right now and I hope I can just keep that going throughout the season,” Martinez said. “If I’m able to do what I just did, go pitch, come out healthy and not even ice my arm, it’s very encouraging. That’s how I want to do all season and hopefully if I’m able to do that, you’re going to see good results and you’re going to see a happy camper out there. All year.”
“In a lot of ways there’s still more there,” Minaya said.
After the second inning, Martinez and Cabrera had a quick exchange. Martinez said the Tigers slugger asked about the righty’s health.
Martinez said he was grateful for the gesture. And in his debut yesterday, he certainly looked well.
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