BOSTON – The stadium and the pregame festivities were the brightest of all the stars, and the real-game excitement lasted for all of 28 pitches.
That was how long it took for hometown star Pedro Martinez to strike out five National Leaguers in two dominantinnings as the American League tamed the NL 4-1 in the 70th All-Star Game at a tangibly proud Fenway Park.
The game itself was rather uneventful after the MVP Martinez left the game, but even he could not outshine the pregame ceremony that featured an impromptu love-in with Red Sox legend Ted Williams.
It was one of the more touching and compelling pregame ceremonies at any big sporting event, where all the All-Stars and a collection all-time greats including Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Tom Seaver surrounded Williams at the mound before he threw out the first pitch.
It was a genuine and poignant outpouring of emotion by Williams, the players and the 34,187 who were packed into Fenway Park, the same venerable grounds where Williams played his entire career.
That was the unexpected. Then came the expected as Martinez turned tears into fear on the parts of the six NLers he faced, and shouts of joy on the part of the home fans who chanted, “Pedro, Pedro.”
Martinez set an All-Star game record by striking out the first four batters he faced, and tied an American League record with the five overall. He fanned Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire and, after Matt Williams reached on an error, he struck out Jeff Bagwell. Ivan Rodriguez threw out Williams trying to take second on the play.
Martinez walked off the field to a standing ovation from a loving Fenway crowd that could not get enough of their favorite son.
“What you saw is Pedro,” Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra said. “He loves to pitch in front of this crowd.”
There was a great deal of expectation that with all the sluggers gathering in this matchbox of a stadium that the score would get run up, but it didn’t. In fact, pitchers combined to strike out an All-Star Game-record 22 batters.
Only the Indians quartet of Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and Roberto Alomar were able to do damage as they figured in all four runs.
Thome went 1-for-2 with an RBI, Lofton scored a run, Ramirez scored a run and Alomar had an RBI. But aside from Barry Larkin’s RBI single in the third off David Cone, that was it.
“Good pitching beats good hitting,” AL manager Joe Torre said.
Martinez was more than good. He was devastating and he knew it. He required only 28 pitches to do his work, and never fell further behind than 1-0 or 3-2, which he did once against Larkin to start the game, and once to Jeff Bagwell. But he struck him out on a changeup, then blew away Walker on a 2-1 fastball.
“I was just looking to see it,” said Walker, Martinez’ former teammate in Montreal. “I didn’t see the ball when it went by me.”
In being named the MVP, Martinez became the first Red Sox player to be MVP of an All-Star Game since Roger Clemens threw three perfect innings in Houston – his hometown – in 1986. Martinez also was the first Red Sox pitcher to start an All-Star Game since then.
Martinez was brought here in 1998 to replace Clemens, and has done a great job of it so far, with last night reassuring the fans that the future is not so bleak without the Rocket. Martinez has increased his standing with a 15-3 first half that gives him a chance to make history as the baseball’s first 30-game winner since Denny McLain in 1968.
To have the All-Star Game in his home park in the midst of this exceptional season made this a memorable night for him and his adoring fans.
“It’s been great,” Martinez said. “Of the all the All-Star Games I’ve been to, this is probably the most exciting one. I didn’t know that Boston was going to be so on top of the All-Star Game. I’ve been to a few of them, but what happened with Boston? What’s here? Do the people eat baseball? Drink baseball? It’s unbelievable. I really don’t have the words to explain how good it feels to be a part of it.”