Red Sox will retire Pedro Martinez's No. 45 on July 28
The Boston Red Sox will retire Pedro Martinez's No. 45 in a ceremony on July 28, the team announced Monday. Martinez will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame two days earlier.
Martinez played seven seasons with the Red Sox, more than he spent with any other team. He was 117–37 with a 2.52 ERA and struck out 30.6% of the batters he faced during his time in Boston. He was a member of the 2004 Red Sox team that snapped the franchise's 86-year championship drought and pitched seven scoreless innings in Game 3 of that year's World Series.
"To be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame upon his first year of eligibility speaks volumes regarding Pedro's outstanding career, and is a testament to the respect and admiration so many in baseball have for him," Red Sox owner John Henry said in a statement.
Martinez will be the eighth Red Sox player to have his number retired by the franchise, joining Bobby Doerr (1), Joe Cronin (4), Johnny Pesky (6), Carl Yastrzemski (8), Ted Williams (9), Jim Rice (14) and Carlton Fisk (27). He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame last summer.
Martinez received 91.1% of the vote and was elected into Cooperstown in his first year on the ballot. Only Randy Johnson received a higher percentage of the vote in the class of 2015.
- Dan Gartland
