Editorials

Pedro Martinez Among Four Players Elected To Hall Of Fame

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It’s been a long wait for many of the names on the Hall of Fame ballot, with a few former Los Angeles Dodgers anticipating the announcement on Tuesday morning.

The wait is over and there will be four new players inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio all received the necessary votes to be inducted.



Dodger manager Don Mattingly received just over nine percent of votes in his final year of eligibility, while hitting coach Mark McGwire received 10%. Former Dodger catcher Mike Piazza nearly got the required 75 percent vote, falling short at just over 69 percent. Other former Dodgers Nomar Garciaparra, Gary Sheffield and Jeff Kent all failed to get higher than 15 percent.

Martinez was once a Dodger, signed in 1988 and making his debut in 1992. His brother, Ramon, was also on the team. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda deemed Pedro too small to be an effective starting pitcher, and he was traded to the Montreal Expos for Delino DeShields before the 1994 season. Martinez would go on to pitch for the Expos, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. He was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era.

Johnson started his career with the Expos before joining the Seattle Mariners. He found success there and was then traded to the Houston Astros. He found more success in Arizona with the Diamondbacks and ended his career shuffling between the New York Yankees, Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants. Biggio spent his entire career with the Astros, beginning as a catcher before becoming a second baseman. Smoltz is most known for his time with the Atlanta Braves as a starting pitcher, though he also thrived as a closer. He ended his career with the Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

Vincent Samperio

Vince is currently the Associate Editor and Social Media Manager for Dodgers Nation. Hailing from San Pedro, CA and a student at Cal State Long Beach, Vince has previously written for the Daily 49er and LASF Magazine.

2 Comments

  1. I guess we can finally put to rest Tommy Lasorda’s statement that Pedro was to small to pitch……..

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