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 Post subject: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 3:08 pm 
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Location: Mount Jimi Krak Korn
Favorite Team: Red Sox
Console '07: Nintendo Wii
Console '08: Nintendo Wii
Favorite Japanese title: (PS3) Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2011
November 8, 2007

Today, as I had every day for the last week, I drove to the office to meet up yet again with my agent, Matthew Stoker. Traffic was a bear, and my coffee was cold when I got it. And worse, it tasted almost as bad as Dominican dirt.

But what mattered was that I wasn't in the DR anymore. I was in America, and I was getting ready to sign a contract with the Washington Nationals. I'd come a long way from throwing oranges in the streets. Now it was time to prove it.

Matthew was already walking towards me when I got out of my car. I could tell he was excited about this moment.

"I think this the day we finalize! Are you ready?" he asked.

"For baseball, yes. For business, I don't know. But there's only one way to find out."

We headed in...



February 18, 2008

At last, it's time! Today is the day we begin Spring Training! As I drove over to the field from the hotel, a surge of emotion went through me. I was here. At Spring Training. With an MLB team. My dream was finally a reality.

I pulled in and hurried to the locker room to get ready. As I was getting settled in, our manager, Manny Acta, came in and started talking.

"Alright, everybody. Glad you're all here. We'll be getting started shortly. As always, our goal for this season is... to win the World Series!"

At this, the entire team started cheering.

"I wasn't done yet," he continued, giving a bit of a comical look. "In order to accomplish our goal, I will be demanding everyone's best at all times. No exceptions. And all of you prospects," at this he looked over at me and a few of the other guys, "have a chance to prove yourselves here. Don't waste it. The harder you work and the better you play, the more likely you are to make it. Now, let's get started."

As we walked out to the field, I was bumped by a young man.

"Hey, Pedro!" Noticing my confused look, he stated "What? You don't know who I am? Geez dude, you need to keep up with the other rookies better. My name's Chris Oakley. I'm a pitcher who's here to play and find myself a lady."

I said hey back and shook his hand.

"Hey, I've got a fun idea!" he said. "Why don't we make a bet? Whoever gets to the big leagues first gets a free dinner from the loser!"

"I'm cool with that," I replied. "But you better not make me pay too much if I lose."

"Deal!"

Once we got out to the field, I broke off from him and went to work on my stamina. Although I was a starter, I had spent a lot of time as a reliever in the past, so I figured it would be good to work on it.

After practice, Oakley came back up to me. "Hey! Did you hear the news? Mia Stellano from ESPN is supposed to come by for an interview! We could be on SportsCenter! Plus, she's totally hot! I hope I can get in good with her!"

I'm kind of hoping for a good interview with ESPN. Maybe I'll get some new fans.

--------------------------------------------------

What do you guys think? I figure it's a decent start. Should be fun!

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 3:42 pm 
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Favorite Japanese title: (PS3) Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2011
February 25, 2008

After a hard week of practices, today I decided to shift focus from my stamina to my control. Before I began, Mr. Acta came up to me.

"Pedro," he said, "I'm not gonna lie. I think you have the potential to become a great player in this league, maybe even one of the best. I believe that you could even get you uniform number retired if you'll work hard at it. But you're going to have to give it your all. That's why I'm here: to push you to your limit. If you will give me 110%, I can guarantee that you will become a great player."

"Thank you, sir!" I replied. "I won't let you down!"

"That's the spirit! I wish you nothing but the best!"

I went and started working on my control. Right as I finished, Oakley came up to me.

"Dude! She's here! Quick, how do I look?"

I laughed and watched as she started working her way through the players.

Right towards me.

What could she want with me? I'm just a 19 year old rookie! Why wasn't she interviewing one of the stars like Ryan Zimmerman?

But she kept coming. She walked right up to me and turned to the camera.

"This is Mia Stellano here for an interview with exciting Nationals' prospect Pedro Martinez. How are you, Pedro?"

"I'm good..." I managed to stammer out.

"Now Pedro, what are your goals for the season? Winning the World Series is obvious, but what about individual titles? Are you maybe looking to take the batting title?"

"Um..." I started.

Oakley broke in. "Mia, you sure do know how to kid! A pitcher winning the batting title? Hahaha!"

Flustered, Mia stated "Oh my... I must have mixed up my info... I'm so sorry about this..."

"It's fine," I said as I stepped in to save her from embarrassment. "My goal for the season is just to make the roster and contribute to this team."

"Thank you, Pedro. I wish you the best of luck," she replied, pulling herself back together.

"Thank you," I replied.

As the cameras went off, she immediately came over and apologized to me.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I think I was given the info on the wrong player. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"It's fine, Ms. Stellano," I said. "Don't mention it."

As she walked away, Oakley came back over to me.

"Looks like she's a bit of a goof on the inside," he said. "That's so hot."

I nearly fell apart laughing. I was still recovering when Mr. Acta came up to me.

"Pedro! Just the man I wanted to see! As you may know, we're a bit short in starting pitchers this year. This is a big opportunity for you. However, to get it, you're going to have to go above and beyond all of the other guys. This is your chance. Don't blow it."

Great! I've already got a good shot at making the Opening Day roster! But I'll have to give it everything I've got. Time for some hard work.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 4:15 pm 
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March 1, 2008

Today is the first exhibition game of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays! I'm so excited!

As I walked into the locker room, I could tell everyone was pumped. Mr. Acta came in and gave his pre-game talk.

"Today's game is the beginning. It's the beginning of the season. For some of you, this is the beginning of your careers or even your legacies. All of you rookies..." he said as he looked at Oakley and I, "have a chance to prove yourselves. Now let's go play some ball!"

As everyone cheered, we all headed out to the dugout to look at the starting lineup. I was really hoping to get the start. But the start went to Michael O'Connor. Oh well.

The game was pretty even at first. Both teams scored a run in the second to make it 1-1. But then, in the bottom of the fourth, the Blue Jays scored two on reliever Chris Schroder to make it 1-3. The game kept going until the bottom of the fifth, when the bullpen got a call from Mr. Acta. And it was for me.

I started warming up and came in in the bottom of the sixth to face my first major league hitter, Lyle Overbay. "Keep it together," I told myself. "You can do this."

As Overbay stepped in, I got the call from my catcher, Jesus Flores. Fastball, outside. I pitched and put it just outside for ball one. Taking a deep breath, I got set for my next pitch. Fastball inside. I threw. Overbay made contact but only managed to dink it foul down the first base line. Next pitch: cutter, inside. As I threw, it slipped a bit and went too much to the middle. Overbay connected and hit a liner towards third, but Zimmerman was there to make a leaping catch for the first out.

After that, it was a breeze. I ended up with the win, as my team scored three in the top of the seventh. I pitched three innings, giving up one hit and striking out five. I can honestly say that I surprised myself a bit with that win. After the game, Mr. Acta came up to me and congratulated me on a solid debut performance. Then, Mia came over for an interview and congratulated me.

"Pedro, walk us through what it was like to face your first professional hitter," she said.

"Well," I replied, "it was nerve-racking. I didn't know whether I would succeed or not. I feel I did well. But what matters more to me is the result."

"Thank you, Pedro," she stated before she moved on to her next interview.

Afterwards, one of our outfielders, Rob Mackowiak, approached me about going to get something to eat. I accepted. We went to a trendy new restaurant and had dinner, I think I may have just made a pretty good new friend.

That night I decided to go to an indoor golfing range and try my hand with some new clubs I had just bought. I ended up doing terribly, but I had fun.

When I got back to the hotel, I was approached by our pitching coach about donating money to charity. I would've loved to do it, but I didn't have a very lucrative contract at the moment, so I declined for this season.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 4:34 pm 
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March 4, 2008

Today we have another exhibition game against the Atlanta Braves. I didn't get called upon to start, but that was okay with me. Jason Bergmann took the hill for us this time.

The Braves ended up putting in a run in the first, third, and fifth innings, so it was 3-0 in their favor when I took the hill in the top of the seventh. My first batter was the opposing pitcher, JoJo Reyes. I struck him out in five pitches, then moved in to their lead-off man, Matt Diaz. Five more pitches, another strikeout. Mark Kotsay, the center fielder, was up next. Five more pitches, another strikeout. Huh?

In the eighth, my first opponent was All-Star first baseman Mark Teixiera. "A perennial All-Star," I thought. "No pressure." I struck him out in three pitches. My next batter was yet another All-Star: Chipper Jones, who singled to center on the fourth pitch. Brian McCann came up next. I was able to strike him out in four pitches. Jeff Francouer came up next and hit a single between shortstop and third base. Yunel Escobar, the shortstop, was up next with men on first and second. After a fastball for a strike, I threw a low fastball that the catcher missed. Both runners advanced. "Oh boy," I thought. "Gotta take care of this." And I did. I struck out Escobar to end the threat.

In the bottom of the inning, I came up for my first pro at-bat with nobody on and two outs against Peter Moylan. I popped the first pitch up into foul territory and it was caught for an out.

In the ninth, I quickly forced Ruben Gotay into a flyout. Gregor Blanco came in to pinch-hit for Moylan, and he grounded out to second. Matt Diaz came up and grounded out to third to complete the ninth.

We ended up losing 3-0 to the Braves. I pitched 3 innings, giving up 2 hits, no runs, and striking out 6. I was given a no-decision. Even with the loss, Mr. Acta was yet again extremely impressed with me.

That night, I again went to the indoor driving range, doing nearly as bad as the last time I went. But nothing could dampen my spirits. I was totally ecstatic about my performance and my chance to make the big-league roster.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 9:17 pm 
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Favorite Japanese title: Don't Own
my reaction:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28GLa9T2CtI

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 7:31 am 
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Thanks, jag! :lol: I feel the same way.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 1:00 pm 
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March 13, 2008

Today we have another exhibition game, this time against the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the toughest teams in all of baseball.

Walking into the locker room, I was already nervous about the game. The St. Louis Cardinals, with such Dominican greats as Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. "Someday," I told myself, "I want to be as great as those guys."

As I got settled in, Oakley and Rob Mackowiak came over to me. We chatted until Mr. Acta walked in.

"Alright, guys," he said. "Today we get to play against one of the best teams in the MLB. For you rookies and other young guys, this is your chance to show how far you've come and prove that you belong in the bigs. Let's win this thing!"

As we all cheered and headed for the dugout, I got a look at the lineup. Again, I wasn't starting. They had decided to pitch Shawn Hill, a veteran who had pitched for the team since their last year as the Expos. I was fine with that. I didn't feel entirely ready to face Pujols, Troy Glaus, or Juan Encarnacion yet.

We were in trouble right from the beginning, as the Cardinals scored two runs in the first inning on a 2 RBI triple from - you guessed it - Albert Pujols. We held them the rest of the way until I stepped in in the bottom of the seventh.

My first opponent was Juan Encarnacion, the right fielder and fifth hitter for the Cards. He grounded out to short on the second pitch. Next was Chris Duncan. I got him to ground out to second in six pitches. Following Duncan was Yadier Molina, who I struck out in five pitches.

We couldn't score in the top of the eighth, so my team was looking to me to keep it close as I went back out in the bottom of the eighth. The first hitter was Brian Barton. He popped up to Jesus Flores (my catcher) on the first pitch. Next was their pitcher, Todd Wellemeyer. I struck him out in five pitches. Following him was the second baseman, Adam Kennedy, who grounded out to third on his third pitch.

I came up to hit in the ninth. We had scored a run and there was a man on first with two outs. If I got out, we were toast. But then, Mackowiak came in to pinch-hit for me. He got out to end the game with a 2-1 loss for us.

Overall, I again had a solid game. I pitched two perfect innings and struck out 2. Mr. Acta again praised my performance and again told me that I had a good shot at making the Opening Day roster.

That night, I decided that I would do a solo practice to work on my top speed and stamina. Afterwards, I crashed hard and prepared for practice the next day.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 1:52 pm 
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March 18, 2008Hey, that's actually my little brother's birthday...

Today we had our final exhibition game against the Florida Marlins. Boasting some strong players such as Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera, and Dan Uggla.

Walking into the locker room, I could tell everyone was ready for the big game. Mr. Acta walked in and again gave his pre-game spiel.

"Alright, everybody. This is the last Spring Training game. For all of you rookies, this is your last chance to prove you belong in the bigs. We will be facing some difficult opponents, but I believe we can win this game. Are you ready?" Cheers all around. "Then let's do this!"

As everyone headed up to the dugout, Mr. Acta pulled me aside.

"Pedro?" he said. "I believe that you can make the roster this year. That's why I'm letting you start today's game. Don't let me down."

:jawdrop:

He was letting me start the game? Huh? I headed out to warm up with our starting catcher, Johnny Estrada. Oh, the nerves. My first start against a big-league team! "Focus," I told myself. "You can do this. They wouldn't have hired you if you couldn't do this."

And the game began.

After a scoreless top of the inning, I stepped to the mound. My first batter was the Marlins' center fielder, Alfredo Amezaga, who hit a single to left. Next up was Dan Uggla. The first pitch was just inside, but Estrada miffed it and let the runner get to second. I struck out Uggla and moved on to Hanley Ramirez, who used a sacrifice bunt on the first pitch to move Amezaga to third. Two outs, man on third. Oh boy. Luis Gonzalez stepped up for the Marlins... and singled to right. 1-0 Marlins. Next up was Mike Jacobs, who singled up the middle. "No! I can't fall apart so soon!" I thought. Jeremy Hermida was up next. A single to center, another run. 2-0. Up next was Wes Helms, who grounded out to third to end the inning.

After another scoreless top of the inning, I stepped back onto the hill to face Matt Treanor, who grounded out to short. Next was Anibal Sanchez, who lined out to second. Then I went back to the top of the order with Amezaga, who grounded out to short.

In the top of the third, I stepped in to face Sanchez, who had not given up a hit yet, with two outs and nobody on. I grounded out to second with a 2-1 count.

I came back on in the bottom of the third. My first hitter was Uggla, who popped up to second. Next was Ramirez, who hit a grounder to short but was too quick for the throw. Gonzalez stepped up next. He executed a hit-and-run double to right that drove in Ramirez. 3-0 Marlins. Jacobs stepped in next, and hit a grounder to second. However, my second baseman made an idiotic play and threw it to third, failing to get an out. That put me with runners on the corners and one out. Uh oh. Hermida came up and struck out in four pitches. Then I forced Helms to ground out to second to end the threat.

After that inning, I was pulled. We ended up with a 4-3 win that gave me a no-decision. Overall, I pitched three innings, giving up three runs on six hits and striking out two.

Mr. Acta came up to me after the game and told me that although I had had a poor game, I had done well consistently enough to earn a spot on the pro roster. I was congratulated by Oakley and Chris Schroder, who I believe can become a good friend of mine.

After the game, we all packed up and traveled back to D.C. to get ready for our home opener against the Braves.

--------------------------------------------------

I spent the next four days practicing on my control, then decided to go golfing on the 28th. I had found a really nice country club in D.C. and had decided to join up, so I got to hit the links for the first time. I actually played relatively well and had a great time. I ended up doing the same thing the next day and doing just as well. Huh.

--------------------------------------------------

March 30, 2008

At long last, our home opener! I was so excited! As I drove up to Nationals Park, a wave of nostalgia hit me. No, I was no longer Pedro Martinez, the kid that threw oranges and played in the dirty streets of the Dominican Republic. I was Pedro Martinez, a pitcher for the Washington Nationals.

I got to the locker room to get ready for the big game. Unfortunately, all three of my good friends (Mackowiak, Schroder, and Oakley) had been demoted to AAA ball, so I just sat around and listened to music until Mr. Acta came in to announce the starting lineup. As I expected, I wasn't starting. I was unconcerned, though. I figured I wouldn't be the ace of the staff.

The game was tense. No runs were scored until the bottom of the sixth, when we squeaked in a run. Then in the top of the seventh, the bullpen got a call.

For me.

I came in in the top of the eighth to a sold-out crowd of 41,888 people. Whoa. How did I get here?

My first opponent was Matt Diaz. I forced him to pop up to second after 5 pitches. Next was Mark Kotsay, who immediately grounded out to first. Then the pitcher, Rafael Soriano, came up. I calmly struck him out in four pitches.

I came up to bat in the bottom of the eighth to lead off the inning against Soriano. I grounded out to first.

We ended up scoring two runs that inning and won the game 3-0. I pitched one perfect inning, striking out one batter in my MLB debut.

Mr. Acta was thrilled with my performance. "Perfect! They couldn't touch you! Expect to be used more often!"

After the game, I got a call from Oakley. "Hey dude!" he said. "Nice work tonight! I can't believe I lost our bet! I just mailed off a check to pay for your dinner sometime."

"Thanks, Chris," I said. "I appreciate it."

The team's spirit rose immediately after a solid 3-0 win. We traveled to Philly that night.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 2:49 pm 
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Uhh, Oakley's default first name is Ethan.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 7:42 am 
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Huh, didn't know. Oh well, I like Chris, and I can make things up in the story lol.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 1:38 pm 
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March 31, 2008

Today we had the first game of our series in Philadelphia. Coming in, we knew it would be difficult, but that we could manage it.

After Mr. Acta's usual pre-game speech, we headed out and started the game. The Phillies put on pressure early, scoring 2 runs each in the first, third, and fifth innings. We responded with a run in the seventh to make it 6-1. Immediately after I was told to warm up. I got ready and took the mound in the bottom of the eighth.

As I finished warming up, my first hitter, Geoff Jenkins, stepped in. He bounced it back to me for the first out. Next was Pedro Feliz, who singled to left. Carlos Ruiz stepped in next, lining out to left for the second out. Rudy Seanez, the pitcher, followed with a groundout to third to end the inning.

We put one more across in the top of the ninth, but it wasn't enough, as we fell to the Phillies 6-2. I pitched an inning of one-hit ball with no strikeouts.

Obviously, our team spirit fell a bit after that one, but we were still motivated to keep going.

I ended up going golfing that night and had a bad round. Ugh.

April 1, 2008

I woke up with a pile of whipped cream on my face. I could hear my teammates laughing as I wiped my eyes to find Mr. Acta, Ryan Zimmerman, and Lastings Milledge standing over me. "April Fool's!" they shouted.

"Sorry about that," Mr. Acta said. "I figured it would be fun to let the guys prank a rookie. We've got an off day, so go have some fun!"

So what did I do? I went golfing. Again. Why do I go golfing so much?

April 2, 2008

I woke up, got dressed, and decided to have a solo workout before our night game against the Phillies. I feel like I got a bit better from it.

After cleaning up, I headed to Citizens Bank Park to get ready for the game. Again, I wasn't starting. By now I had decided that Mr. Acta felt like using me as a set-up man, which didn't bother me a ton. But I would love to start. Maybe I'll ask sometime...

Anyways, on to the game. We started strong, scoring four runs in the top of the third to go up 4-0. But in the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies put in three. I was called in a bit earlier than usual, and faced a truly difficult situation: men on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Against All-Star shortstop Jimmy Rollins, no less. Luckily, I stayed calm and struck him out in three pitches to end the threat.

In the top of the eighth, I came up to bat with a man on second and two outs. I popped out to third on a changeup to ruin that chance.

I came back on to pitch in the bottom of the eighth, facing Shane Victorino to start the inning. He took a fastball for a ball, then hit a hard grounder to short and was thrown out. Up next was Chase Utley, another tough player. I was somehow able to strike him out and move on to the cleanup hitter, Ryan Howard, also struck out.

We put one more across in the top of the ninth and I was pulled for Chad Cordero, who prevented them from scoring and earned the save. I pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings, striking out three.

Mr. Acta was again quite impressed with me, telling me yet again how glad he was that I had signed with them.

April 3, 2008

Today was the final game of our series in Philadelphia. I was pumped and ready to go out there and play just like I had every game since I made it to the bigs: don't let them hit, strike them out.

Unfortunately, I didn't get in, and we lost 6-3.

That night, we hopped on a plane and headed for St. Louis, where we would play the Cardinals the next day.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 2:38 pm 
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April 4, 2008

After another morning solo workout, I got dressed and headed to Busch Stadium for the opening game of our series against the St. Louis Cardinals. After the start I had had to the season, I was totally pumped and ready to play. But I didn't get in, and we lost 9-8.

April 5, 2008

"Alright," I thought. "Maybe I'll get to play today." I was ready to get some action after a few games off. But then Mr. Acta shocked me.

"Pedro," he said, "I'm going to let you start today's game!" Well, that explained why I hadn't played in a few days: they wanted to rest me for today. "Alright," I thought. "Let's do this."

After failing to score in the top of the first, I came on to face the lead-off man, Adam Kennedy. On the first pitch, he grounded out to the catcher, Paul Lo Duca, for the first out. Next was Skip Schumaker, the center fielder, who struck out in five pitches. Then came the big dog, my fellow Dominican, Albert Pujols. He popped up to Lo Duca to end the inning.

After another scoreless inning, I came on again in the second to face the cleanup man, Chris Duncan, who grounded out to second. Troy Glaus was next. I struck him out quickly, then moved on to Rick Ankiel, the right fielder. I struck him out to end the inning.

In the top of the third, I came up to bat with nobody on and one out against Adam Wainwright. I grounded out to second on the fourth pitch. We ended up not scoring that inning.

I came back on in the bottom of the third and prepared to face the catcher, Yadier Molina. After six pitches, he grounded out to short. Next was Cesar Izturis, who grounded out to third for the second out. Wainwright was up next. I struck him out in three pitches to end the inning.

The bottom of the fourth came, and the game was still scoreless. Kennedy led off, and popped up to second for the first out. Schumaker was next, singling to right to break up my no-hit bid. Pujols followed with a flyout to center, making it two outs. Duncan came up and grounded out to short to end the inning.

I came up to bat in the top of the fifth with a man on first and two outs. I grounded out to short to end the inning.

I was back on the hill for the bottom of the inning, set to face Glaus, who struck out. Ankiel followed, and was put down in the same way. Molina came next and grounded out to second to end the inning.

My team still hadn't scored when I again took the mound in the bottom of the sixth. Izturis was my first opponent. After three pitches, he popped up to the third for out number one. Wainwright was up next, singling to center. Kennedy followed, grounding out to me but advancing the runner. Schumaker came up with a chance at driving in the run, and succeeded by hitting a single to right to make it 1-0. Pujols followed with a groundout to first to end the inning.

I was still in in the bottom of the seventh, facing Duncan to lead off the inning. He singled to center. Glaus followed, flying out to deep center to make it one out.

After that, I was pulled for John Rauch. We never scored, and I was credited with the 1-0 loss. I pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out six. Even with the loss, it was still a pretty good debut. The team's spirit worsened after our third straight loss. We need to pick up the pace.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2015 9:43 am 
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Posts: 4454
Location: Mount Jimi Krak Korn
Favorite Team: Red Sox
Console '07: Nintendo Wii
Console '08: Nintendo Wii
Favorite Japanese title: (PS3) Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2011
Sorry guys, no updates yesterday and none today. I'm out of town at the moment and can't play.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Sat May 16, 2015 10:19 am 
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Joined: Fri May 04, 2012 2:29 pm
Posts: 4454
Location: Mount Jimi Krak Korn
Favorite Team: Red Sox
Console '07: Nintendo Wii
Console '08: Nintendo Wii
Favorite Japanese title: (PS3) Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2011
April 6, 2008 - April 10, 2008

I practiced alone the night of April 5 after my first start.

Our next four games:
Nationals 6-15 Cardinals
Marlins 17-0 Nationals
Marlins 7-5 Nationals
Marlins 4-8 Nationals

I practiced alone every day in that time frame except for the 10th, when I went golfing at the country club.

April 11, 2008

Time for my second career start! Today I'll be facing the Braves at home.

Before the game, I put in a quick workout. I felt a slight improvement in my stamina.

That night, we got geared up to face the Braves. I was pumped and ready to win.

I stepped on to start the game against the Braves' lead-off man, Kelly Johnson. I struck him out in five pitches and moved on to the next hitter, Yunel Escobar, who grounded out to first. Following him was Chipper Jones, who grounded out to second to end the inning.

We put up two runs in the bottom of the inning (finally, some run support! :lol: ), and I returned to the mound in the top of the second to face Mark Teixiera, who grounded out to second on the first pitch. Next up was Brian McCann, who doubled to left. Jeff Francouer followed with a strike out for the second out of the inning. Matt Diaz came up next with a good chance to score but grounded out to third to end the inning.

In the bottom of the second, I came up to bat with nobody on and one out. I flew out to right on the second pitch.

I came back in the top of the third to face Mark Kotsay, who I struck out in four pitches. Mike Hampton, the opposing pitcher, followed suit in six. Johnson was next, doing the same as the two before him in three pitches to end the inning.

After a scoreless inning on our end, I again took the hill to face Escobar, who grounded out to third for the first out. Jones was next, singling to left. Teixiera followed. Jones attempted to steal on the first pitch and was gunned down by Lo Duca for the second out. But Teixiera singled to center, then successfully stole second. McCann hit a dinker up the middle for a single to drive in the run and make it 2-1. But he was caught stealing second to end the inning. Why are they all trying to steal on Lo Duca all of a sudden?

Anyways, on to the top of the fifth after another scoreless inning. Francouer led off with a single to right. Diaz followed with a grounder to third on which Francouer was thrown out, but they couldn't turn the double play. Kotsay was next. Diaz was able to take second on a wild pitch; but Kotsay couldn't push him forward, lining out to second for the second out. Hampton grounded out to second to end the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, I came up to bat in the same situation as before. I broke my bat on a pop-up to first.

I was back for the top of the sixth to face Johnson, who flew out to center for out number one. Escobar followed with a groundout to first for the second out. Next was Jones, who took me long to left to tie it up at 2. Teixiera grounded out to second to end the inning.

I was pulled in the seventh. We ended up losing 5-2. I pitched 6 innings, giving up two runs on six hits and striking out five, earning the no-decision. I was disappointed that I couldn't lead us to the win, although Mr. Acta was quite impressed with me. The team's morale worsened as we fell to 3-8 to start the season, a full 4.5 games back of the Mets already.

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 Post subject: Re: Pedro Martinez - The Resurgence
PostPosted: Sat May 16, 2015 4:32 pm 
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Joined: Fri May 04, 2012 2:29 pm
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Location: Mount Jimi Krak Korn
Favorite Team: Red Sox
Console '07: Nintendo Wii
Console '08: Nintendo Wii
Favorite Japanese title: (PS3) Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2011
April 12, 2008 - April 16, 2008

Results from next four games:
Braves 8-3 Nationals
Braves 2-5 Nationals
Nationals 8-7 Mets
Nationals 11-3 Mets

April 17, 2008

Today we play against the Mets in New York. This city is so crazy. "The City that Never Sleeps." They're so right. This town is always moving, always changing.

Mr. Acta has me tabbed to start today's game on my standard rotation. It should be tough, but we're on a roll, so I think I can get the win today.

The opposing pitcher today is some guy named Pedro Martinez. Maybe my parents named me after him...

We couldn't put anything across in the top of the first. I came on to begin the bottom of the inning. First up was the lead-off man, Jose Reyes, who struck out in five pitches. Next was Luis Castillo, who grounded out to second. David Wright followed with a groundout to second to end the inning.

In the bottom of the second, I came back on to begin the inning against Carlos Delgado, who struck out in six pitches. Next was Carlos Beltran, who popped out to the catcher. Moises Alou followed with a groundout to me to end the inning.

I came up to bat against Martinez in the top of the third with nobody on and two outs. I grounded out to second.

I was back on the hill for the bottom of the inning. Leading off for the Mets was Ryan Church, who grounded out to second for the first out. Brian Schneider was next, striking out in three pitches. Martinez followed with a strikeout to end the inning.

After another scoreless inning, I stepped back onto the field for the bottom of the fourth. Reyes, who was up first, grounded out to first. Castillo followed, popping up to the catcher. Next was Wright, who grounded out to second to end the inning.

Yet another scoreless inning in the fifth. Where is the 11 runs when I'm pitching? Anyways, on to the bottom of the inning. Delgado was up first, singling to center. Beltran was next, also singling to center. Following was Alou, who grounded out to third for the first out. Then church grounded out to the catcher. Schneider grounded out to second to end the threat.

I came up for my second at-bat in the top of the sixth with one out and nobody on. I flew out to relatively deep right.

I stayed on to begin the bottom of the sixth. Martinez was first, grounding out to second. Next was Reyes, who grounded out to third. Castillo followed with a grounder to short to end the inning.

We couldn't score yet again in the seventh, so it was up to me to keep us in it as I stepped on the mound for the bottom of the inning. First was Wright, who struck out looking in four pitches. Delgado followed with a groundout to short for the second out. Next was Beltran, who struck out chasing a cutter low to end the inning.

We still hadn't scored when I stepped back on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. Alou led off with a pop-up to the catcher for the first out. Next was Church, who grounded out to second. Then Schneider grounded out to short to end the inning.

I came up to bat in the top of the ninth against Martinez, who had racked up 20 strikeouts in the game but was wearing down. With nobody on and no outs, I grounded out to second.

I was still in to start the ninth. Martinez, who was supposed to be the first batter, was replaced by Damian Easley, who singled to center. Reyes followed with a single to left. I was pitching to Castillo, the next batter, when, on my third pitch, I hurt my elbow and was pulled.

We did end up winning the game in the tenth inning, which I was happy about. I ended up pitching eight innings of shutout, giving up four hits and striking out six. A great performance, to be sure, although I was still upset about getting a no-decision. And about being injured. Looks like I have about six days of recovery ahead of me.

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