Pedro Martinez, 'Most Beloved Latino Pitcher,' to Release Memoir
Dubbed the "most dominant" and "most beloved Latino pitcher" in baseball history, former Boston Red Sox pitcher, Pedro Martinez wants to share his story that began in the Dominican Republic and ended in the U.S. as an eight-time All-Star and 2004 World Series champion who was the highest paid player in 1997.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner has a book deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The publisher announced Wednesday that ''Pedro'' will be published next year. It will be co-written by the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman, the Associated Press reports.
Known for his slight physique and wide range of effective pitches, Martinez starred for the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets among other teams and won more than 200 games during an 18-year career in the major leagues that ended in 2009.
According to Houghton Mifflin, Martinez will tell ''lively, raw stories'' about the highs and lows of his time in baseball.
Martinez spent seven seasons in Boston (1998-2004), winning two of his three Cy Young Awards and a World Series ring during his time with the Red Sox. He went 117-37 (a franchise-best .760 winning percentage) with a 2.52 ERA in his seven seasons with the Red Sox, leading the league in ERA four times in that span.
In addition, Martinez was the first Latin American pitcher to strike out 300 batters in a season.
Martinez left the Red Sox after the 2004 season to sign with the Mets, for whom he pitched four more seasons. His final season in the majors was 2009 with the Phillies.
This summer, the Boston Red Sox welcomed Martinez back to the organization with open arms as a special assistant to general manager Ben Cherington along with former catcher Jason Varitek.
"I've been away long enough now," Martinez said in an earlier interview with ESPN Boston. "I spent time with my family, and now the situation is right. I think they need people like me that could probably relate to the players, relate to the front office, have the good communication and the interest that they need right now. I think the players still see me as a player and they can naturally communicate with me. I'm also a veteran, a real old veteran, and I think I can offer some advice how to handle different situations."
The pitching master-turned mentor was very grateful for the opportunity and pointed out that his roots don't only stem from the Dominican Republic, he said, "My heart will always live in Boston."