Pedro Martinez Pitched the Greatest Season Ever. Then He Did It Again. | Baseball Bits 

I remember watching Pedro pitch in this stretch with my dad. My dad was a pitcher for 20+ years at various levels & never quite got to the pros, but the awe with which he watched Pedro control games is something I will never forget. He would break down the at bats for me as they happened. Pitch by pitch. Seeing a master at work through the eyes of someone who knew the ins & outs of the pitching battle gave me a new appreciation for what Pedro was doing.

Those of us who lived in Boston in 99/00 and followed baseball, the nights Pedro pitched at Fenway were like playoff atmospheres- we all knew we were seeing something special. I tell my son it was the only time in my life that when at Fenway I would get a beer when the Sox were hitting. Greatest pitcher I’ve ever seen, and as noted in the height of the juice era makes it even crazier.

I was a 13 year old Brazilian kid back in 1998 when my dad got Directv. All of a sudden baseball was being shown on ESPN. That slow sport caught my attention for some reason. I obviously liked the McGwire - Sosa HR race. But the thing I actually loved was the art of pitching. And then Pedro pitched a game. From that moment on I became a Red Sox fan. That's the power someone like him has. To me, he is the GOAT.

When Pedro was at his best, he was THE best I’ve ever watched. A unique combination of high velocity, late movement, control, and of course the change up. He didn’t have the longevity of a Maddux or a Clemens, but his good years were SO GOOD.

Large Attractive Bartolo Colon is still the best all around pitcher when chicken wings consumed is brought into consideration. John Lackey a close second

Can we get a video about Bartolo being the best pitcher over 40, including the strict dietary requirements it took to earn him that place

As a first gen Dominican, you have captured feelings for me that I have not felt since I was a kid. Watching Pedro take the mound was like watching God operate. I have fallen out of love with baseball over the years, but you have reminded me of the magic it holds.

Pedro in 2000 may have saved the AL from having the Cy Young award going to a pitcher with an ERA of 4.

The dude wasn’t even 6’ tall pitching in the heart of the steroid era... Greatest pitcher of all time imo.

Tim Keefe? More like Tim Queefe. *This meme was brought to you by BartoloGang*

3:26 "his career high in strikeouts was 69, so he did a nice job putting balls in play"

And he was in the process of doing it again in 2001 before his shoulder gave out (7-1 in 11 starts with a 1.44 ERA). Also, he hurt his shoulder after pitching in the '99 All Star Game, leading to his giving up 7 ER in three innings the next game. He then went on the disabled list. Minus that start, he goes 23- 4 in 28 starts with a 1.80 ERA.

A Baseball Bits on Bond’s 01’-04’ stretch where he basically turned into a RTTS character(steroid use notwithstanding) would be sick

STRAIGHT UNDERTALE MUSIC. I LOVE YOU, FOOLISH BASEBALL

The undertale music is honestly an awesome addition to the video

When Sans theme starts playing and Pedro starts striking out the Yankees, I realize what cocaine feels like

Pitched in the Roid Era too. Definitely top 5 of all time

As Dominican baseball player, I remember when I was 12 years old and I use to be a third base and then my coach told me that I have a really strong Arm and so I should be a pitcher. I didn’t know anything about pitching so I started looking for videos and I found PEDRO MARTINEZ... My dad use to talk a lot of him and I didn’t know why everyone in my country was amazed by him, but when I start it I was surprised by the fact HE REALLY IS THE G.O.A.T 5;10 in the era of the steroids and an era of 2.25 between 1997-2003, it is not because of his statistics(which are really great). It also because of the way he was in the bullpen Thank you Foolish baseball for making this video!

Having watched Pedro live in Fenway I can say his stuff looks much different live. Greatest I've ever seen and I've seen Ryan, Fingers, Big Unit, Clemens of course and a few other. Crickey! I even saw Luis Tiant.. As a Nolan Ryan fan, Pedro eclipsed him in my mind in 1999.

I remember watching that all-star game and thinking how that was the best pitching performance I ever seen at my young age... didn't think 20 plus years later that it would still rank number 1...

"Larkin's career high for strikeouts in a season was 69, so he did a NICE job of putting BALLS IN PLAY" I see what cha did there

0:58 Just a little thing here, an excerpt from an article back in July on Reds starter Luis Castillo's and the man himself, Pedro Martinez says Castillo pitches just like he did, highly praising his changeup: "Martinez was Castillo’s childhood hero. Castillo’s dad would call to him when Martinez was pitching on TV and they would study the way Martinez pitched together at their home in the Dominican Republic. He grew up watching Martinez dominate hitters with his changeup. The crazy part? When Martinez watches Castillo pitch, he sees himself too. “He reminds me a lot of myself,” Martinez, an MLB Network analyst, told The Enquirer. “I remember meeting him in Baní, his hometown, and the first thing he asked when he first met me was how do you grip the changeup? How do I slow down my changeup a little bit more? We went into baseball conversation and since then we became friends. “I love the kid. The kid is so humble. He reminds me so much of me.” Castillo, of course, cherishes every time he has an opportunity to chat with Martinez. Sometimes, he’ll watch RU-vid videos of Martinez before his starts. The first time they met was long before Castillo became an All-Star. Castillo will never forget the final message from the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Martinez. “I was standing next to Pedro,” the 6-foot-2 Castillo said, “and he said these words to me: ‘Look at your size and look at my size. Look at what I was able to do. You’re able to accomplish that and more.’ It obviously inspired me and gave me a lot of motivation to keep working and keep moving forward. It was really great.” After facing Castillo during an interleague series last month, Alex Bregman said his Houston Astros teammates talked about Castillo for weeks afterward. Bregman said Castillo was among the top three pitchers he’s seen. Opposing hitters say Castillo’s changeup looks identical to his fastball. The 10-mph difference and movement on the pitch is the reason it’s so difficult to hit. Reds reliever Amir Garrett tried to have Castillo teach him the changeup last year. Garrett quickly gave up. It’s not a pitch that can be taught. It’s a gift. “It’s outstanding. It’s as good as mine,” Martinez said of Castillo's changeup. “He’s literally surviving on fastball, changeup and location. It’s so good that even knowing that you’re going to throw the changeup, they’re not able to catch up to it yet." ... Castillo grew up watching Martinez every chance he could. Now, Martinez enjoys watching Castillo take the mound with a similar mix of fastballs and changeups. “I told him anytime you find yourself second-guessing what you can do, just look at me and use me as an example,” Martinez said. “Just go out there and work hard. Study the game. Never take anything for granted and go grind it because if I did it, he could do it.”" Sort of funny is it not?

Can we talk about John Coleman and his historically bad 1883 season, where he set records for most losses (48), hits allowed (722), and earned runs (291). He went 12-48 with a 4.87 ERA with an abysmal 63 ERA+

Pedro is one of the reasons I became a Red Sox fan as a kid.

Foolish Baseball is my daddy

Found your channel from the verlander vid. So under rated. Keep up the good work

Drove from Boston to old Yankee stadium in 2000 watched Pedro vs Mussina 0-1 loss...one of the greatest sporting memories of my life... Being a sports fan growing up in Boston during that era was magical watching Pedro and then Brady come on to the scene I have been so fortunate...

If my memory is accurate, when Pedro no-hit Cleveland in relief in Game 5, he wasn't his normal self. His fastball was only around 90 mph. That made his performance even more impressive.

I always been a Yankees fan. But I will always have a lot of respect for Pedro Martinez. He is 100pct the best pitcher, I have and will always be the best pitcher I seen live. .

Thank you for recognizing the SNUB that was Kenny Lofton's time on the HOF ballot. How's about a video on him?

As a Tim Keefe fanboy, I still enjoyed this video.

I was a teenager in Massachusetts GLUED to the TV when Pedro pitched. He's the best I've ever seen.

Pedro's run in the late 90's was the most dominant pitching I've ever seen, especially considering the context of the era. Velocity, insane movement and excellent control all in one fairly modest physical package. Pure baseball joy to watch.

I recognize all of these all-stars from Backyard Baseball 2001.

I still remember in 1998 when the Indians went back to the playoffs. I had tickets to Boston vs. Cleveland, and the match-up was Jared Wright for the Indians, vs. Pedro for Boston. I was delayed getting to the game, and arrived in the bottom of the 2nd. I remember it was dead quiet inside and outside the stadium, which I knew to be a very bad sign. As I recall Boston was up by 2 or 3 runs, and with Martinez on the mound, you had a feeling it'd be enough. Martinez was such an amazing pitcher, he reminded me of Maddox with an extra 8 or 9 mph on his fastball.

So glad christy Mathewson was mentioned. He’s from the small town I live in, in pa. (Factoryville)

2:48 Walker Buehler already has 2 are you kidding me...

Damn the 90's had a huge strikezone.

As a baseball and video game lover, this series is awesome. PLEASE continue to do the same! This is great stuff man.

Fun fact about Tim Keefe that is not about his “293 (!) ERA+IN 1880 WITH THE TROY TROJANS”. Tim Keefe was born on January 1st, which (apart from being the same day as Fernando Tatis Sr’s birthday) is important because Tim Keefe has the distinction of Bering the most valuable player (by bWAR) born on January 1st, with 86.9 bWAR, notably, this is more bWAR than Pedro Martinez. Keefe is also one of 2 hall of farmers born on this day (the other being Hank Greenberg). This post was brought to you by the Tim Keefe gang.

This video puts the biggest smile on my Dominican face 😁

Batters turned into suckers when facing Pedro

Respect from this here Yankees fan. Great dive into the stats but there's clearly a lot of heart powering your analysis too. That's what makes this sport go round. Nice vid.

Greatest change up of all time. Insane how much movement he gets on all his pitches. Legend

Man, Pedro got more screwed than I remember growing up watching baseball in the steroid era

If you tried to hit against Pedro in 1999 or 2000, you're gonna have a bad time.

Your videos are amazing brotha! love the stats and analytics from different perspectives of baseball makes everything that much more interesting 💯👌🏽much respect man! ✊🏽

Holy wows, I love your presentation and style! This amazing pixelated late 80s early 90s game box esq cool whip never quits!

That would be two Twins references in a row for those who are keeping track at home. Alright, its just me.

Pedro confirmed meme lord: Larkin struck out 69 times, but Pedro wouldn't let him play with the balls XD I'm so sorry love the content

1st time I saw Pedro Pitch was for Mon sometime in 1994 and just the way his fastball would run and move was incredible. He had such a live arm, its hard to describe, but when you see it, you can't help but recognize it almost immediately. You could tell he would be great if he did not get injured and was not too wild....

This is a fantastic video! Thank you for creating and sharing this.

I remember that era and IMO Pedro had the best 5-year stretch of anyone I have seen. He also had two of most unhittable pitches in history, and dominated in an era where pitchers simply didn't dominate.

2:47 Damm Walker Buehler is only 25 years old and already has 2 games like that

I remember the Expos were negotiating for Dodgers pitcher Ramon Martinez in 1994. That was going nowhere so both sides lowered their sights a bit. The Dodgers said well we can give you Ramon's brother Pedro. The rest is history. The brothers were reunited in 1999 with the Red Sox. It was Felipe Alou who fixed Martinez in Montreal. He made him drop his 2 seamer for a 4 seamer and his control went through the roof.

Had I not seen this particular video for my first baseball bits experience I may not would have fallen so deeply in love with the channel....keep up the excellent work

There’s a lot of great pitchers in the history of baseball. When evaluating them you have consider the difference between peak value & career value. That said, at peak value there was NO greater pitcher in baseball history than Pedro Martinez!! His run from 98’ - 03’ is the greatest run in baseball history especially when you consider the era he did it in!! #45

Only 58k subs... blows my FREAKIN MIND MAN

Absolutely loved Pedro. Thank u for the throwback

3:26, the most subtle of “nice”

These might just be the best baseball videos I have ever watched, keep up the great work!

Gibson is still my favorite, because of what he accomplished in spite of seemingly everything in the universe working against him. An absolute warrior.

I’ve watched this video atleast 7 times. It never gets old. Great Job FB!

Awesome videos. Worth the sub. Keep up the amazing work!

This is my favorite channel since you started making these kinds of videos. You should make a few about older legends too ( ted Williams, mantle, etc. ) love this channel

Amazing content! Keep up the great work

Lovely trip down memory lane. Pedro, Chipper Jones, Clemens, Randy Johnson, McGwire, ... some good years for baseball.

Absolutely love your vids bro. If I had one suggestion, I would definitely love a video about Tim Lincecum. Cheers from Brazil!

I love your videos man, keep up the great work ❤️

My favorite Episode!! I'm obsessed with your channel, I would love to see one on Home Run race of Sosa/McGwire...that season I fell in love with Baseball

I can only imagine what a full length documentary sponsored my the MLB would be like in the caring hands of this great man! Keep up the great content! Best baseball channel on any platform ever!

Watched every pitch during those 2 seasons when I lived on Cape Cod. Coaching baseball I kinda had an idea of what was transpiring. When taken one pitch at a time within some very hot games, his excitement value even exceeded his stellar ERA in my opinion. He DID have one of the best home field crowds in baseball that seemingly helped him along as well. Ask the DropKick Murphies if you don't believe that the 10th man isn't invaluable in Fenway!

Kenny Lofton is a HOF that did get massively snubbed. Foolish Baseball gets it!

My son just got the baseball bug. Which in turn has me reliving my little league years by playing catch with him. Ultimately, my baseball bug is in full swing right now. To the main point....your channel is fantastic. Love the music. Love the info. Love the stats. I can tell you put a lot of time into your channel. Keep up the good work.

Content asside you have a really good talent for this. Your info, the way it is broken down, digestible, and paired with fun visuals with your own style throughout is well done man. Please find a company that can use this!

I finally got a Megalovania pitching montage. This feels so correct.

Pedro’s prime was far and above anyone else’s.

Great video! Thanks for the hard work.

watched the entire ad at the end just cause i respect it not being placed in the middle of the video so much. and that the video itself was an absolute banger

I was so disappointed when he was traded away by the Dodgers. I saw he had the stuff way back then. He had a curveball that his brother didn't. I loved watching Pedro. Always my #1 draft pick in fantasy baseball and never disappointed. Pedro was my guy.

Don't worry Jon Bois already did Bob Gibson 1968 we need new old stories

I fucking love you for having my favorite game soundtrack over my favorite team/pitcher. Keep up the good stuff bro 😁👍🏼

Love the graphics you make/use

Pedro wasn't overpowering like watching Nolan Ryan, but like Greg maddux, he was a master, it was like watching Da Vinci paint when he pitched.

This was cool and all but let’s talk about Tim Keefe

Bob Gibson was a freak of nature… Would love to see a video-analysis. Great job! So glad me and my sons found your channel!

I grew up in Worcester MA, when I was little Roger Clemens was my favorite player, and as I grew older it was Pedro. I didnt realize how special he was.

This video deserves an award, my god so good!

The dodgers drafted both Pedro and Ramón Martínez The dodgers decided to keep Ramón and send Pedro to the Montreal expos for Delino DeShields Way to go Tommy Lasorda

god this channel is so good. You deserve 1m subs

Love these videos!

That's the most unbelievable performance I've seen . When you consider the place , the players and the ball were juiced its unmatched. He became tougher as the game went on its like he knew he was too much for them that night

Seeing Maddox have 2 ERA+ seasons in the top 5 is very impressive.

Man when I was a young boy the highlight of my days was watching sportscenter to see how Pedro Martinez had pitched. Definitely, idolized Pedro and Maddux. Still go back and watch old games when I can find them, these guys were the masters!

that 2015 HOF class was amazing

Great video, thanks. Petey was sick. Damn, Montreal drafted and developed some great talent in the early 90s. That players strike ... otherwise it would have been the Expos winning a championship and never moving to DC.

i thought you were actually playing a video game cause of the intro

Even as a really young Yankees fan when he was in his prime, he was so intimidating. Like even as a 6 year old in 2000 i knew he was something else entirely when the Yankees would play him. Nothing but respect for Pedro

Been a fan since I was a kid. Love Pedro, was one of the best to step on the hill

"Greatest of All Time is an Opinion, Most Dominant is a fact" Jon Jones.