9.20.2004
quote of the year
"The YES Network wants me to die," Martinez said with a laugh.
runner up
"As Martínez stood in front of a table in the clubhouse, his long, black curls still wet, he added, "I never felt the ball right in my hands."
so how bad was ol' petey, asks murray [ever ready to make a dig at the nation] chass?
¶It was only the third time in 319 career major league starts that he had given up that many (eight) earned runs.
¶The loss was his second in a row, the first time since June 2002 that he has lost consecutive starts.
¶It was the first time since June 2002 that he had given up three home runs in the same game (hit by Gary Sheffield, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada).
This was also the sixth game that Mussina and Martínez have faced each other. For the most part, the previous five were close, low-scoring engagements. Each pitcher had a 2-2 record and a low earned run average, Mussina 1.32, Martínez 1.96. Now Mussina has a 1.31 E.R.A. in their half-dozen confrontations, Martínez 3.46.
newsday with this interesting bit of trivia: "Martinez had been 7-3 with a 2.41 ERA lifetime at Yankee Stadium. Since joining the Red Sox in 1998, he's 10-9 against the Yankees and 107-26 against everyone else."
