When the Mets signed Pedro Martinez as a free agent this past winter, they acquired a player with a reputation of being one of the best pitchers in baseball. Unlike so many other high priced free agents, however, Martinez has more than lived up to his advanced billing.
Tuesday night, Pedro took the mound against the Houston Astros and delivered another dominant performance. He allowed just two hits and struck out 12 in a complete game 3-1 victory at Shea Stadium. The win improved Martinez’s record on the season to 7-1.
Martinez did not allow a hit until the seventh inning when Chris Burke hit a long home run into the left field bullpen to spoil the no hitter and the shutout. Lance Berkman’s single was the only other Houston hit in the game.
Despite the hostility Martinez felt from Yankees fans in recent years pitching for the Red Sox, he feels accepted in New York by Mets fans. 'I didn't realize it was a no-hitter,' Martinez said after the game as fans chanted 'Pedro! Pedro!' behind him. 'It's a great feeling to be embraced by the fans so quickly. I could feel it from the very first time I stepped between the white lines in New York.'
Despite having a history of great pitchers such as Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Dwight Gooden, David Cone, Mike Hampton and now Pedro, the Mets have never pitched a no-hitter in their 44-year history.
The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Cliff Floyd doubled in Mike Cameron who had doubled earlier in the inning. Carlos Beltran singled home Martinez in the fifth to give New York a 2-0 lead while Marlon Anderson added the final run with an RBI single in the seventh inning.
There was one tense moment in the game when Astros starter Roy Oswalt hit Floyd with a pitch in the seventh. Floyd pointed at Oswalt and headed towards the mound but was held back before any punches could be thrown. Both benches and bullpens emptied but order was quickly restored and both teams were quickly given warnings. Oswalt had hit Floyd in the ribs with a pitch last August so there is a history between them.
With the win, the Mets improved their record to 31-27 on the season. This is the first time they are four games over .500 this year and they are now only one game behind the first place Washington Nationals in the NL East. Houston dropped to 21-35 which leaves them in last place in the NL Central.
