Pedro's Farewell

By the time 2004 came to a close, it was clear that Pedro was a head case. I can’t say whether he was always that way, and no one noticed or cared, because he was Pedro (Pedro being Pedro); or whether he just couldn’t tolerate the thought of playing second fiddle to Schilling. Schilling had led the AL in wins, and had in one season worked his way to the top of the Sox lineup. Pedro, on the other hand, seemed to be slipping. His numbers were off; his velocity was down; and the Yankees had clearly gotten into his head. By the end of the ALCS, Pedro’s behavior had become so peculiar that it was hard to understand most of what he was doing. Game Six he skipped the trip to New York, supposedly so he could warm up. For what? For his one inning in Game Seven, that self-indulgent trip to the center of Yankee Stadium, where he gave up two runs in a single inning, and let the crowd back into the game, after Lowe had held the Yankees to a single hit over the first six? That was just an exercise in narcissism; Pedro needing to hear everyone chant, “Who’s your daddy?” A long way from the mango tree, but not too far from the loony bin.

This diagnosis was confirmed by Pedro’s performance in Game Three. The first three innings, he wass nothing special. He loaded the bases in the first, and escaped only because Manny threw out Walker at the plate. An inning ending double play, and Pedro got out of the first with no runs. In the third, Suppan’s base running gaff came with runners at second and third and no outs. But after the Suppan double play, Pedro retired the next fourteen. The Cards didn’t get another base runner until the ninth. So we have both sides of Pedro on display in the same game. First we see Pedro insecure : unsure of himself, and unable to get his pitches over, for the first two and two-thirds. Then suddenly he was the confident Pedro of old -- totally in control, dominant, unhittable for the next four and a third. I’m convinced that he left Boston because he needed to be the ace on his pitching staff, and didn’t really care what chance his team had for the post-season. Especially after having gotten his ring. Too bad. Even without his overpowering fastball, Pedro is still a better pitcher than anyone else on our 2005 staff.

Finally, a few numbers from Game Three. The first two runs came with two outs, making it eight in a row scored with two outs. The Sox won their seventh in a row. Pedro retired fourteen in a row. And out of the last 21 Cards to bat in this game, only one, Larry Walker got on base, so to speak. More like he touched the bases as he circled them in the ninth. Really, the series ended in the third, with the Suppan thing. After that, the Cards were on life support. Between the third inning of game three, and the end of game four, the Cards scored a single run. One run. It was all over except for the parade.