Pedro Martinez believes 60 percent of players used PEDs during his career
Pedro Martinez grins at the thought of PED-infused players swinging through his pitches.
"How did I feel like pitching in the juiced era? I wouldn’t want it any other way," Martinez told USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale. "There's no crying. I know I did it the right way.''
The hurler went on to say that he believes 60 percent of MLBers were using PEDs during his playing days.
The steroid era ignited baseball for years, but woke up with a hangover amidst a tarnished sport. In 2002, 30-home-run hitters were the norm. Soft, even.
Manny Ramirez hit 33 home runs for the Boston Red Sox that season, yet finished ninth, behind the likes of Alex Rodriguez (57), Sammy Sosa (49), and Barry Bonds (46).
But one of the more remarkable stats came from Ramirez's teammate, Martinez, who finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting thanks to a sparkling 20-4 record and 2.26 ERA, with 239 strikeouts.
| Career vs. Martinez | PA | HR | SO | AVG/OBP/SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Rodriguez | 72 | 1 | 23 | .274/.375/.355 |
| Jason Giambi | 64 | 3 | 21 | .179/.281/.357 |
| Barry Bonds | 43 | 1 | 8 | .333/.488/.576 |
| Rafael Palmeiro | 42 | 0 | 8 | .206/.310/.206 |
It is a point of pride for Martinez, getting players later accused of cheating to strike out when he did it all-natural.
Martinez strung together an 18-year career with a stunning 2.93 ERA that earned him a Hall of Fame induction, one that comes with a gold star instead of an asterisk.