Pedro Martinez erreicht die 3000er Strikeout-Marke
CINCINNATI -- Pedro Martinez completed his comeback from major shoulder surgery on Monday and quickly went into the record books, becoming the 15th pitcher to strike out 3,000 batters in his career.
The New York Mets' right-hander needed only two strikeouts to reach the mark. He fanned Scott Hatteberg on a foul-tipped fastball for 2,999 to open the second inning, then finished it off and reached the mark by getting right-hander Aaron Harang swinging at an 87-mph fastball.
Martinez was congratulated by catcher Paul Lo Duca as he headed for the dugout, and fans applauded when the feat was noted on the scoreboard.
The last pitcher to reach the 3,000-strikeout mark was Boston's Curt Schilling. He fanned Oakland's Nick Swisher in the first inning of a 7-2 loss to Oakland on Aug. 30 last year.
The 35-year-old Martinez, a three-time Cy Young winner, was at a career crossroads last season. He had surgery on his rotator cuff on Oct. 5, an operation that often takes more than a year for a full recovery.
[espn.com 04.Sept.07]
CINCINNATI -- Pedro Martinez completed his comeback from major shoulder surgery on Monday and quickly went into the record books, becoming the 15th pitcher to strike out 3,000 batters in his career.
The New York Mets' right-hander needed only two strikeouts to reach the mark. He fanned Scott Hatteberg on a foul-tipped fastball for 2,999 to open the second inning, then finished it off and reached the mark by getting right-hander Aaron Harang swinging at an 87-mph fastball.
Martinez was congratulated by catcher Paul Lo Duca as he headed for the dugout, and fans applauded when the feat was noted on the scoreboard.
The last pitcher to reach the 3,000-strikeout mark was Boston's Curt Schilling. He fanned Oakland's Nick Swisher in the first inning of a 7-2 loss to Oakland on Aug. 30 last year.
The 35-year-old Martinez, a three-time Cy Young winner, was at a career crossroads last season. He had surgery on his rotator cuff on Oct. 5, an operation that often takes more than a year for a full recovery.
[espn.com 04.Sept.07]
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