Red Sox retire Pedro Martinez's No. 45 at Fenway Park
Pedro Martinez was officially enshrined in Cooperstown last Sunday, but the party isn't stopping there.
The newest Hall-of-Famer was celebrated at Fenway Park on Tuesday as the club immortalized his No. 45 and posted it on the right-field facade along with the numbers of Bobby Doerr (1), Joe Cronin (4), Johnny Pesky (6), Carl Yastrzemski (8), Ted Williams (9), Jim Rice (14), Carlton Fisk (27), and Jackie Robinson (42 - honored by all MLB teams).
#45... Immortal. #PedroHOF @45PedroMartinez pic.twitter.com/5cg9hUB3Bp
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) July 28, 2015
The on-field ceremony included Pedro's Hall of Fame plaque, on loan from Cooperstown, and many guests of honor were on hand, including former Montreal Expos manager Felipe Alou, pitcher Curt Schilling, and Red Sox Hall-of-Famers Fisk and Yastrzemski. The ceremony concluded with Martinez throwing out the first pitch to his former catcher, Jason Varitek.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
"I consider myself a blessed man," Martinez said as fans chanted his name. "I love the people of Boston. You will be linked to my heart, you will be linked to my life forever."
A replica of Martinez's Cooperstown plaque was given to fans in attendance.
This is the giveaway at Fenway tonight. pic.twitter.com/sfZwwlv7Pa
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) July 28, 2015
Martinez posted an incredible 117-37 record with a 2.52 ERA in seven seasons with the Red Sox from 1998-2004. The Dominican native is the club's all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings (10.9) and winning percentage (.760). He's perhaps most highly regarded for helping Boston break the Curse of the Bambino with a World Series title in 2004, and capturing two Cy Young Awards (1999, 2000) while toeing the rubber at Fenway Park.