Pedro pitching still a spectacle

Now-Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez, once a Cy Young-award winning pitcher for the Red Sox who struck out more than 300 batters twice in his career, took the loss last night, pitching against the Yankees in the World Series.

His line was: 6 innings pitched, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts.

Not bad for a 38-year-old who is about 8 years past his prime.

The Phillies lost 3-1 last night in Game 2 of the World Series, evening the series, 1to 1. It would have been sweet to see Pedro lead his team to a 2-0 series lead, but the Yankees had a bit too much power. The Phillies, meanwhile, could not hit AJ Burnett.

But Pedro still pitched really well. He gave up two home runs, but he had good command of his pitches, striking out 8 while walking 2.

One thing that's changed about Pedro over the years is his velocity. Last night, he topped out at 89 mph, from what I saw. In his heyday, Pedro routinely hit 93-95 mph. The speed decrease is a big difference because it affects his offspeed pitches. Pedro's changeups used to be 85 mph. Now, they're about 75 mph. Even Derek Jeter, who NEVER pulls the ball, last night smacked a double to left field. He was way out in front of the pitch, which is rare.

Pedro's pitches still have good movement, and because he's such a smart pitcher, he can accumulate strikeouts. He knows what to pitch when.

When he pitched for the Red Sox, he was magical. Dominant. Hitters could not successfully guess what he was throwing. They could not keep up with his fastball. And even if they could hit his fastball, it had such movement that it didn't seem fair. His placement of the ball, on the outside corner of the plate, was unbelievably accurate. For a period of years, he was in the zone. And the Red Sox were the lucky beneficiary of his superior performance.

Watching him last night brought back some memories from his mid-90s form. He fooled a bunch of batters throughout the night. He was in control. It was almost the Pedro of old. He hit the outside corner of the plate, granted at velocity in the uper 80s, regularly.

It was a shame that Pedro had to lose, but it was also a testament to the strength of the Yankees. The Phillies needed to get run support. And it didn't happen. I wonder if Pedro will get another chance this postseason.