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Pedro Thinking About Retirement

Valadius May 20 2008 08:38 PM

After this season, to be with his ailing father, who is dying of brain cancer. ]ATLANTA (AP)—Pedro Martinez will rejoin the New York Mets for a bullpen session Wednesday as he looks forward to returning from an ailing hamstring. But he’s not sure if he’ll pitch beyond 2008. After his latest rehab assignment in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Martinez told the Daily News he was might retire after this season to be with his ailing father. Manager Willie Randolph doesn’t know whether Martinez has made a final decision. “I didn’t talk to him about it or really know about it,” Randolph said. “I know his dad has been ill and he’s been going back and forth trying to struggle with that. But I haven’t talked to him about it, so I don’t know if it’s really true or not.” Martinez’s 78-year-old father, Pablo, has a form of brain cancer. “It’s taking a toll on me and my family, my dad’s situation,” Pedro Martinez told the New York newspaper. “That’ll probably drag me away from the game a little sooner than people expect. After this season, I’m going to go back home and think about it and I’m going to decide.” The 36-year-old right-hander has been on the disabled list since April 2 with a hamstring injury. In his latest rehab appearance, he pitched 4 1-3 innings and threw 77 pitches against St. Louis’ minor leaguers. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and topped out at 90 mph on the radar gun. He’ll throw a bullpen session at Turner Field before New York’s game against the Braves on Wednesday. “It will be nice to see him, see how he’s doing,” Randolph said. “He’ll come in and be Pedro, loosen the guys up a little.” Martinez could return for the Mets before the end of the month, possibly for a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers from May 29-31. The pitcher suggested it might be even earlier. “He’s close to where he wants to be. He’s feeling pretty good,” said Randolph, who is eager to get a firsthand look at Martinez’s progress. “You can just see the crispness of his pitches, his arm action, those kinds of things, the action on his changeup,” the manager added. “Just seeing him here gives you a better idea.”

soupcan May 21 2008 08:52 AM

Vlad 'Official Creator of Nicknames' is fast becoming Vlad 'Official Player Retirement Proclaimer'. I'm guessing he's trying to falsely inflate the value of some real estate interests he might have in Florida.

metsguyinmichigan May 21 2008 08:58 AM

The difference between Pedro being active and Pedro being retired is what?

Benjamin Grimm May 21 2008 09:04 AM

Don't rule out the possibility of the Mets getting four months of service from Pedro this year. There's still a chance that he'll be the difference between paying in October and not playing in October.

Willets Point May 21 2008 09:07 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Don't rule out the possibility of the Mets getting four months of service from Pedro this year. There's still a chance that he'll be the difference between paying in October and not playing in October. I think they'll be paying him in October regardless.

batmagadanleadoff May 21 2008 09:08 AM

="Benjamin Grimm"]Don't rule out the possibility of the Mets getting four months of service from Pedro this year. There's still a chance that he'll be the difference between paying in October and not playing in October. He's been injured so often as a Met, that I wonder if people are forgetting how brilliant he pitched --even as a Met-- when he was healthy.

Benjamin Grimm May 21 2008 09:08 AM

Oops. I misplaced an L.

Willets Point May 21 2008 09:10 AM

="batmagadanleadoff"] ="Benjamin Grimm"]Don't rule out the possibility of the Mets getting four months of service from Pedro this year. There's still a chance that he'll be the difference between paying in October and not playing in October. He's been injured so often as a Met, that I wonder if people are forgetting how brilliant he pitched --even as a Met-- when he was healthy. Stupid people are, which sadly encompasses too many Mets fans.

batmagadanleadoff May 21 2008 09:10 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Oops. I misplaced an L. I didn't catch that missing "l". I wish I did because Willets' "paying" response was better than mine.

Centerfield May 21 2008 09:11 AM

="Willets Point"] ="batmagadanleadoff"] ="Benjamin Grimm"]Don't rule out the possibility of the Mets getting four months of service from Pedro this year. There's still a chance that he'll be the difference between paying in October and not playing in October. He's been injured so often as a Met, that I wonder if people are forgetting how brilliant he pitched --even as a Met-- when he was healthy. Stupid people are, which sadly encompasses too many Mets fans. When did Willets turn into Yoda?

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 21 2008 09:15 AM

I think one can acknowledge the fact that he pitched great three years ago and that he's been a net negative due to constant injuries and the necessity of handling him with kid gloves.

metirish May 21 2008 09:19 AM

As discussed during the game last night by Ron and Gary how can Pedro come back to pitch for the Mets as soon as next week without pitching to some semblance of real talent in the minors first , and as Ron said a lot of this retirement talk could be frustration with all the injuries he has dealt with the past few seasons.

Benjamin Grimm May 21 2008 09:22 AM

Yeah, I think if he manages to finish with a strong four months, his competitive juices will make him want to return for 2009. Whether his return is with the Mets is a whole nuther story, though. The only scenario I can envision that has him returning to the Mets in 2009 is if he really pitches great the rest of the way (which is a large part wishful thinking) and is willing to come back on a contract that doesn't guarantee more than one year. And I think it's unlikely, but possible, that it will play out that way.

batmagadanleadoff May 21 2008 09:23 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I think one can acknowledge ... the necessity of handling him with kid gloves. That's always been the real drag on Pedro - the Met version. Even when healthy and brilliant, the Mets need three relief pitchers to finish out his games.

AG/DC May 21 2008 09:26 AM

I'm trying to tell myself how his personality changes the complexion of the team, then I remember last September.

Benjamin Grimm May 21 2008 09:27 AM

metirish wrote: As discussed during the game last night by Ron and Gary how can Pedro come back to pitch for the Mets as soon as next week without pitching to some semblance of real talent in the minors first Why not? Pitchers used to do it all the time, before this "minor league rehab" thing came into vogue. Jerry Koosman, for example, missed a big chunk of time in 1971 and came back right to the rotation without pitching in Tidewater or Pompano Beach.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 21 2008 09:29 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 21 2008 09:32 AM

Nothing against Pedro (or Alou... or El Duque...) personally but I'm tired of the Mets employing guys whose frequent unavailability create wide swings and interference with the consistency, character and composition of the team over the course of the year. You can quantify the damage these guys do when you consider the performances of those who assume their roles in combination with their performamnces, but I think there's also something to the effect on teammates of a player's unavialability. It's almost like you can feel the team's offense straining under the anticipation of Alou's pending arrival.

metirish May 21 2008 09:31 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: ="metirish"]As discussed during the game last night by Ron and Gary how can Pedro come back to pitch for the Mets as soon as next week without pitching to some semblance of real talent in the minors first Why not? Pitchers used to do it all the time, before this "minor league rehab" thing came into vogue. Jerry Koosman, for example, missed a big chunk of time in 1971 and came back right to the rotation without pitching in Tidewater or Pompano Beach. Right and pitchers used to pitch complete games all the time , pitchers used to not have pitch counts , pitchers used to pitch both ends of a double header.......

Centerfield May 21 2008 09:32 AM

I nearly forgot about El Duque. Where is he? Is he coming back ever?

AG/DC May 21 2008 09:33 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 21 2008 09:45 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Nothing against Pedro (or Alou... or El Duque...) personally but I'm tired of the Mets employing guys whose frequent unavailability create wide swings and interference with the consistency, character and composition of the team over the course of the year. So, you're less than comforted about the Mets having Jose Valentin up their sleeves then?

Benjamin Grimm May 21 2008 09:35 AM

Centerfield wrote: I nearly forgot about El Duque. Where is he? Is he coming back ever? I haven't been following this too closely, but as I understand it, there's some kind of a boot that's stuck on his foot, and he can't pitch until he figures out how to get it off.

AG/DC May 21 2008 09:40 AM

The boot is off. This much Metgeek has told me. They've got nothing on Valentin though.

Benjamin Grimm May 21 2008 09:41 AM

I think he has his thumb stuck in a bowling ball.

AG/DC May 21 2008 09:48 AM

Right, and Angel Pagan dropped his keys in the toilet. I guess he's about ready to come off the DL, and Church's concussion may will spare Tatis the axe.

metirish May 21 2008 01:02 PM

] BY DAVID LENNON | david.lennon@newsday.com 11:39 AM EDT, May 21, 2008 The Mets have scratched Wednesday's bullpen session for Pedro Martinez after he had to return to the Dominican Republic to tend to his ill, 78-year-old father, Pablo, who suffered a setback this morning in his battle with brain cancer. Martinez already had landed in Atlanta when he got the phone call that told him about his father. He immediately hopped a flight to the Dominican. How this will impact Martinez's rehab schedule is uncertain. Martinez, who has been on the DL since April 2 with a left hamstring strain, was supposed to pitch a side session today for manager Willie Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson and bullpen coach Guy Conti, his close friend and guru. If that went smoothly, Martinez was likely to make a rehab start for Class A St. Lucie on Saturday and then possibly be slotted in as early as Thursday against the Dodgers. But with his dad's latest setback, it's difficult to predict how much this will delay Martinez, who may be at his father's bedside indefinitely. At the moment, it looks like he won't be back in the rotation for next week's homestand

Fman99 May 22 2008 07:49 AM

metirish wrote: ] BY DAVID LENNON | david.lennon@newsday.com 11:39 AM EDT, May 21, 2008 The Mets have scratched Wednesday's bullpen session for Pedro Martinez after he had to return to the Dominican Republic to tend to his ill, 78-year-old father, Pablo, who suffered a setback this morning in his battle with brain cancer. Martinez already had landed in Atlanta when he got the phone call that told him about his father. He immediately hopped a flight to the Dominican. How this will impact Martinez's rehab schedule is uncertain. Martinez, who has been on the DL since April 2 with a left hamstring strain, was supposed to pitch a side session today for manager Willie Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson and bullpen coach Guy Conti, his close friend and guru. If that went smoothly, Martinez was likely to make a rehab start for Class A St. Lucie on Saturday and then possibly be slotted in as early as Thursday against the Dodgers. But with his dad's latest setback, it's difficult to predict how much this will delay Martinez, who may be at his father's bedside indefinitely. At the moment, it looks like he won't be back in the rotation for next week's homestand Best wishes to Petey's dad and the Martinez family.

DocTee May 22 2008 09:29 AM

Nevermind: From ESPN.com: SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- The end is near. But not so fast. Pedro Martinez, who returned to the Dominican Republic to be with his sick father, said Wednesday that he plans to stick around for at least two more seasons. "I feel great physically and for the record I haven't considered retirement. Retirement would only take place if my arm is badly hurt and if I have to face surgery or something near that nature," Martinez told ESPNdeportes.com while visiting his father, Pablo Jaime, who has a form of brain cancer. Earlier this week, Martinez told the New York Daily News that he was considering retiring after the current season because of his father's illness. His priority, according to published reports, was to spend more time with his family in the Dominican Republic. "I have said this before and I'll say it again: I want to pitch at least for two or three more seasons," said the three-time Cy Young Award winner, who inched closer to a return to the New York Mets by throwing 4 1/3 innings in a simulated game Monday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Martinez had planned to rejoin the Mets for a bullpen session Wednesday. However, because of the family matter, he was forced to delay his plans to test his ailing hamstring. "I'm completing the workouts and doing a great job. My arm feels excellent and the speed is showing, throwing well over the 90 miles-per-hour mark," Martinez said. Martinez was 3-1 with a 2.56 ERA in only five starts last season, returning in September after being sidelined since his October 2006 surgery to repair his torn right rotator cuff.

Willets Point May 22 2008 09:30 AM

DocTee wrote: Pedro Martinez, who returned to the Dominican Republic to be with his sick father, said Wednesday that he plans to stick around for at least two more seasons. Read that sentence and tell me that it doesn't imply that Pedro plans to stick around the Dominican Republic for two more seasons.