Martinez captured his second career Cy Young in 1999, winning 23 games with a 2.07 ERA while setting the franchise single-season record with 313 strikeouts. Even a pitcher as accomplished as Saberhagen was impressed by Pedro.
"“I’ve seen a lot of great pitchers but by far he is the best I ever saw,” said Saberhagen. “I feel very fortunate to have been a teammate with him.”"
Saberhagen had the opportunity to play with many outstanding players over the course of his career, including Bo Jackson during his time in Kansas City. He admits to being a bit disappointed when Roger Clemens left town at the same time Saberhagen arrived in Boston. He was looking forward to pitching alongside The Rocket. As great as Clemens was during his time with the Red Sox, he never had a season quite like Pedro in ’99.
No pitcher in this era has had a season quite like what Martinez produced that year but Saberhagen came close a decade earlier. While Saberhagen couldn’t match Pedro’s staggering strikeouts totals, his 23 wins and 2.16 ERA en route to winning his second Cy Young put him in that same territory.