Princetonian senior writer Anuj Basil comments on the biggest pitching matchup of the 2003 playoffs, Pedro Martinez against Roger Clemens in Game 3 of the ALCS — Clemens' last game ever at Fenway Park in Boston.
"It's the toughest ticket in Boston sports history," Fox commentator Joe Buck said at the opening of the broadcast for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park.
Scalped tickets outside the Fens (Boston slang for Fenway Park) were going for upwards of $700 per seat for the pitching matchup of the 2003 playoffs. On one side was the levelheaded Pedro Martinez; on the other was the perennial hothead Roger Clemens. On this day, however, the two pitchers had a reversal of roles and because of this, the Yankees won a critical game, 4-3.
Game 3 unfolded as such. In the top of the fourth, Martinez threw high and tight to Yankee right fielder Karim Garcia and Clemens followed with a high pitch in the bottom half of the inning that Manny Ramirez took a little too seriously.
Leading up to the encounter it was obvious to everyone that Pedro did not have his best stuff. His fastball wasn't breaking 90 miles per hour, and his curve ball was left up in the zone on more than one occasion.
He had been given a 2-0 first inning lead courtesy of a Ramirez two-RBI single. What followed is a sight Red Sox fans aren't used to seeing — Pedro giving a lead back and showing his emotions in the process.
In the fourth, the fireworks started. Martinez gave up an RBI double that put runners on second and third with no outs.
Martinez was angry and the 35,000 in attendance were dismayed. What happened next was an embarrassment to baseball. Martinez threw his next pitch at Garcia, who had hit an RBI single only two innings before. Garcia bent to avoid the pitch, and was nicked on his shoulder blade.
Pedro then got into a shouting match with Posada who was on third, and made a gesture toward his head as if to say, "That's where I'm going to hit you."
I understand Pedro was upset about getting knocked around. Trust me, I was upset as well. But that doesn't warrant making threats against an opposing team's player. When you can throw a baseball, albeit only 88 mph at the time, at a man's head, the ball becomes a weapon, and there's no room for that in baseball.
There are some who argue that Martinez just missed with his pitch because the situation (second and third with no outs) did not warrant attempting to hit a batter.
This reasoning lacks merit since Martinez, the best pitcher of our generation, has great control even on his worst days.
In his career Martinez has struck out more than four times as many hitters as he has walked, and in Game 3, he had six K's as opposed to only one free pass. Martinez's control was not the problem. Instead, his pitches were uncharacteristically up in the zone. He would not miss that badly with a pitch unless he were trying to hit Garcia.
Martinez allowed his emotions to get away from him, and this ended up costing himself and the Sox the game. In the other dugout was Clemens, a man who always wears his heart on his sleeve. Clemens, or the Antichrist as Bill Simmons, a writer for ESPN Page 2, refers to him, has committed some of the most foolish acts I have ever seen on a baseball field. This includes throwing the end of a broken bat at Mike Piazza during the 2000 World Series and getting tossed in Game 4 of the 1990 ALCS against Oakland for arguing balls and strikes.
On Saturday, however, Clemens showed remarkable maturity considering his tainted past. Instead of plunking the first player he faced in the bottom of the fourth, he bore down against the Sox's biggest hitter, Ramirez.
He ran the count to 2-2, at which time Ramirez took offense to a pitch that was high and inside, but nowhere near Ramirez's head. Both dugouts emptied and even 72-year old Don Zimmer foolishly got into the act by charging after Martinez. After the meleé, which lasted 11 minutes, Clemens calmly went to work and struck out Ramirez on the next pitch.
In what was his last game ever at Fenway Park, Clemens showed that he may have finally matured into a decent human being. For Sox fans including myself, that enlightenment simply came seven years too late.
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