Pedro Martinez whet his appetite with one pitch to kick off the 2010 Major League Baseball season and hopes to throw many more before the campaign concludes. Donning a Red Sox uniform, Pedro tossed the ceremonial first pitch in Bean Town a week ago Sunday.
Afterward, the future Hall of Famer made it known that he still desires a real gig this season. Similar to last season, Martinez is looking for the right situation to continue his stellar career after the Philadelphia Phillies did not re-sign him at the end of 2009.
Prior to joining the Phillies in late August, the free agent pitched for the Dodgers, Expos, Red Sox, and Mets. When injuries and the death of his father contributed to his worst campaign in the big leagues in 2008, the Mets allowed him to become a free agent until his well publicized return late last season.
Martinez supplanted veteran Jamie Moyer in the rotation and played an important role down the stretch. Pedro posted a 5-1 record with a 3.63 ERA using a masterful combination of movement and change of pace. He also demonstrated surprising life on his fastball, touching 93 mph on the radar gun.
After sitting out the NLDS, Martinez pitched brilliantly in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Dodgers and then battled his way to a solid performance in World Series Game 2 against his long-time arch rival. With the temperature halving that of balmy L.A. a couple weeks earlier and antagonism running high in Yankees Stadium, Martinez appeared to have nothing left in the tank as he tried to keep the Phillies alive in Game 6.
Perhaps that scared off potential suitors, but Pedro remains convinced that he could help a team in need of pitching. Considering that he prefers to play on the East Coast for a National League contender and be in a starting role, here are the top ten landing sites for Martinez in 2010.
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