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MLB WORLD SERIES: PHILLIES v YANKEES

October 29, 2009

Pedro Martinez

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game Two

Philadelphia Phillies 1
New York Yankees 3

Q. Two things: One, is there satisfaction even in the loss with what you did tonight? And two, what kind of dialogue was there with Charlie Manuel to go out there for the final inning?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Well, they asked me, first of all, it was Dubee the inning before, he asked me how I felt. I said -- I never felt as strong as I would like to because I've been under the weather the last two days. That's not an excuse, but I didn't feel quite as strong. I haven't been eating right. I had very little sleep.
But I felt good enough to make pitches, and that's what I told him. I told him, I feel good enough to still make pitches. They trusted that and left me in there the last two innings.

Q. Were you satisfied overall with your performance?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Yeah, that's all I could do for today. I don't feel like I saved anything. I did everything I could to beat those guys. You have to give them a lot of credit. You have to give Burnett a lot of credit for the kind of game he was able to pitch. It's just a loss. I just don't see them beating us too often with just three runs or less.

Q. You emphasized a lot about the defense of the Yankees. Talk a little bit about the offense. How much of a hard time did the Yankees offense give you today? Were you taken a little bit by surprise by your offense today?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: No, to be honest, I don't think they were as good as they could be. They're a lot more than that offensively. We pitched, and we made pitches. Sometimes when you pitch, hitting is going to be slow. And when you don't, hitters are going to take full advantage of it.
When I made a couple of mistakes, I paid for them. Teixeira's home run to me, seems like he hit a good pitch. I just have to tip my hat and kind of let it go. Matsui I was disappointed because first of all, maybe the pitch wasn't the one I would probably -- probably would have chosen if I was to think again. But I was just into a groove and pitching and throwing pitches, and just flip a curveball there, kind of paid for it.

Q. Could you just walk us through what your feelings were? A long rehab for you over a year, you come in, you pitched a great game in the NLCS, and then tonight. I know when you're pitching, you're not thinking about that stuff, but now that you got back to a World Series game and pitched so well in it, talk about what's going through your mind about the whole year of rehab really.
PEDRO MARTINEZ: You know, regardless of what happened, the fact that I was the loser today for the game, I'm extremely proud and happy being able to participate, compete against a real, real good team, a very solid team, be able to put my team in position to catch up or win that game, and at the same time tell myself that I made the right decision by coming back and getting this opportunity, putting myself in the position to get an opportunity to pitch in the World Series.
It was a real good game. It was a real baseball game.

Q. Considering all that, what have you done to adjust as a pitcher from the last time you pitched in the World Series in '04 with the Red Sox?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Well, I have been working a lot harder at mixing my pitches and hitting location really well, keeping the ball low, because I know I don't have that 95, 97 mile-an-hour fastball, at least not for now, and since I came back, I haven't had it.
You know, I'm pleased with the way things are going, and I still feel like I can get people out, you know, with what I have. I think 90 to 93 sometimes is good enough to get it by anybody if you use your other pitches and know when to throw it. As you saw today, I struck out a lot more batters than you probably expected. I didn't really have to use that 97 mile-an-hour fastball that I used to be.
It's a game of adjustments, and I consistently adjust to whatever situation comes up.

Q. As you were walking off the field, you were hearing it from the Yankee fans and the TV camera caught you breaking out into smile. Can you talk about as you were walking off the field kind of what was going through your mind in the new Yankee Stadium?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Yeah, you said it right, it's a new Yankee Stadium, but the fans remain the fans. They're going to give you -- like I remember one guy sitting right in front of the front row with his daughter, sitting with his daughter, and his daughter in one arm, and a cup of beer in the other hand and saying all kinds of nasty stuff. I just told him, "Your daughter is right beside you. It's a little girl. It's a shame you're saying all these things."
I had to stop and tell him because I'm a father myself, and God, how can you be so dumb to do those kind of things in front of your child? What kind of example are you setting?
But the fans, I enjoy that, because at the bottom, I know I played for the Mets, I know they really want to root for me. It's just that I don't play for the Yankees, that's all. I've always been a good competitor, and they love that. They love the fact that I compete. I'm a New Yorker, as well. If I was on the Yankees, I'd probably be like a king over here. (Laughter.)
That's not the case right now, and it's going to be that way.

Q. You mentioned that you were not feeling 100 percent entering the start. Was there ever any discussion before the start about not making it? Did you and Charlie have any discussion?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: No, not at all. I wasn't going to give anybody the opportunity to take me out, regardless of how much I coughed and how much my chest hurt and sore throat or whatever. It doesn't matter. I was going to take this start, because there was something I had in mind when I first chose that team. It was to pitch a game in the World Series or pitch in the World Series with this team.
I got it. I can say I finally got it. And I'm extremely happy to probably have that opportunity today.

Q. With all you've done this year and in the playoffs, do you feel like you've earned a contract for the beginning of next year? And are you sure that you want to come back for a another season?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: I think you're going to have to ask me that question after the World Series. If we win the World Series, I'd suggest you fly to Dominican and come and ask me. If we don't win it, I'll probably give it another shot. So far I finished this game today. I'm perfectly healthy. I threw 100 pitches, 100-some odd, and I feel totally fresh. I feel real good. I wasn't really the way I wanted to be because I've been under the weather. I must repeat this. I was under the weather the last two days and I felt kind of winded out there, but I was still able to do what I had to do.

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