Pedro Martinez – No. 45
The only pitcher to ever have their number retired by the Red Sox is the great Pedro Martinez.
Pedro created an electric atmosphere every time he took the mound at Fenway. While he only spent seven seasons in Boston, his time here included some of the best pitching performances we’ve seen in the modern era.
In 1999 and 2000, Martinez delivered arguably the best seasons by a pitcher in major league history when accounting for the steroid tainted era he played in. He won 23 games with a 2.07 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 313 strikeouts in ’99, leading the league in each category to capture the AL Cy Young. He should have been the MVP that year but had to settle for second place. Pedro followed that by winning 18 games with a 1.74 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 284 strikeouts to win his second consecutive Cy Young.
During his time in Boston, Pedro won four ERA titles and led the league in strikeouts three times. His 10.95 K/9 rate is the highest by a pitcher with at least 250 innings in a Red Sox uniform.
Martinez owned a 117-37 record during his tenure in Boston and ranks sixth in franchise history in wins. His .760 winning percentage is the best in team history. His 51.9 WAR is third among Red Sox pitchers despite spending less than half of his career here and ranking only 18th in innings.
Pedro was the ace of the 2004 World Series team that ended an 86 year title drought.