Pedro Martinez Says Some Phillies Had Swine Flu During 2009 World Series

Pedro Martinez said some of his Phillies teammates were suffering from swine flu during Philadelphia's 2009 World Series.

Pedro Martinez said some of his Phillies teammates were suffering from swine flu during Philadelphia's 2009 World Series, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Martinez threw a ceremonial first pitch Sunday as he celebrated the 10th anniversary of their National League championship with his former teammates. 

"It wasn’t told, but most of us were sick," Martinez said. "Some of the guys had swine flu and had to be kept away. I caught some of the virus. We would just never say it. When I got home, I realized that I was really sick."

Martinez started two of the six games against the Yankees. He said he felt fine in Game 2 but he then only last four innings in Game 6 before the Yankees won their 27th World Series title.

"I had a little bit of an asthma attack in the middle of the game and I was having a hard time breathing," Martinez said. "I was really sick. In any other situation, I wouldn’t be out there. But the team needed me. I held on as long as I could and I did that. I was really proud to have my last game with the Phillies at Yankee Stadium."

Martinez made nine regular-season starts in 2009 and finished with a 3.63 ERA after signing with the team midway through the season. It was his last season in the majors after he started his career in the pros in 1992. He played for the Dodgers, Expos, Red Sox and Mets throughout his career.

There was a swine flu pandemic in 2009.