Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Legend Pedro Martinez Names His Successor In Yankees Rivalry: 'New Daddy!'

Pedro still loves thinking about The Rivalry...
Jackson Roberts|
Oct 29, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Former professional baseball starting pitcher,Pedro Martinez talks to fans in the outfield before game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Oct 29, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Former professional baseball starting pitcher,Pedro Martinez talks to fans in the outfield before game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees could once again be arch-rivals in 2024, and no one seems more excited about that possibility than Pedro Martinez.

Not only is Martinez a Red Sox icon, but he was one of the faces of baseball's most passionate rivalry in the early 2000s. The image of him throwing 72-year-old Don Zimmer to the ground at Fenway Park during the 2003 American League Championship Series will echo through the rivalry's lore forever.

Fast forward two decades, and Martinez is a television host and a major Red Sox brand ambassador, sporting a Boston cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. He's got a positive outlook for the future of the franchise heading into 2025, and he's singled out one player he's excited to see don his old uniform.

Walker Buehler, who recorded the final out against the Yankees in the 2024 World Series as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has Martinez's attention after signing a one-year contract to become a staple of the Red Sox's rotation.

“I have been a fan of him, and him a fan of me,” Martinez said Tuesday, per Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald (subscription required).

“He’s gonna go to New York and they’re gonna remember that he was the one that shot them down. He’s gonna be intimidating, he’s gonna be booed, and he’s gonna be hated by the Yankees because of what he did. Same thing happened to me.”

Yankee fans used to taunt Martinez with the infamous chant, "Who's your daddy?" which Martinez eventually threw back in the Yankees' face by saying, "Who's your daddy now?" after the Red Sox won the World Series. Now, he's appointing Buehler as his latest successor as a Yankee irritant.

“New daddy!” Martinez exclaimed.

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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