Pedro: Chris Sale having 'most amazing year I've ever seen' from a pitcher

On the face of it, they would seem to have little in common.

One is compact, righthanded and a proud son of the Dominican Republic. The other is tall, lefty and a Florida native

But when Pedro Martinez looks at Chris Sale, he sees a lot of himself: the dominant stuff; the intimidating glare; the determination.


Maybe Martinez isn’t entirely objective. He is, after all, a Red Sox employee, serving as a special assistant to the Baseball Operations department. But Pedro knows pitching, and in Sale, he’s found something of himself.

“Everything about this year from Chris Sale has been impressive,’’ said Martinez. “I think it’s the most amazing year I’ve ever seen from someone pitching, like from my seasons, and now I’m really appreciating what Boston got to appreciate when I was taking the mound.’’

What’s not to like? Sale, who starts Saturday night against the Yankees, is 14-4 with a 2.51 ERA. He leads the American League in innings pitched (168.1), strikeouts (241) and WHIP (0.879). He leads in the traditional stats (wins) and new, peripherals (FIP, ERA+). He’s been the best pitcher in the A.L., maybe in all of baseball.

And for Martinez, they’re more alike than not.

“We are so similar,’’ remarked Martinez, “(comparing Sale’s current season) to the 1999 season and how everything was going. Even the (lack of) run support, the adversity in the game, the behavior from the bullpen … it’s almost similar in every aspect. Boston is seeing what it already saw in the ’99 season from me. It’s quite amazing to see how much the two seasons compare – his season to my season.’’

In 1999, Martinez’s second season with the Red Sox, he went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 313 strikeouts, still a club record. He had an absurd 8.46 strikeout-to-walk ratio and averaged 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Sale’s number are nearly as spectacular, with 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a career-best 7.7 stirkeout-to-walk ratio.

“The approach seems to be really close to the way I would approach games,’’ Martinez noted.  “He works quick, he’s very economical with his pitches. And so was I. The only difference is, he’s a lefty and tall. He varies his arm angles more frequently, and I only did it on the changeup.

Sale has always had a plus fastball and slider, but what made him a more complete pitcher was the development of his changeup, which was arguably Martinez’s best pitch.  Changing the arm angle on his slider, meanwhile, has made the breaking pitch an even better weapon.

“That gives him a little bit more loop on the breaking ball, so it looks more like a curveball at times,’’ Martinez said. “It’s actually more like a ‘slurve’ sometimes; sometimes, it can be a pure slider. That is something that I was unable to do – I always wanted to have the curve break 12-to-6, if I could. But I was three-quarters (with my arm slot), so my curveball was like a little bit of a slurve, compared to his.

“But the approach is the same. The makeup, the look on top of the mound seems to be the same. He’s a hard-nose, a hard-working guy, just like I was. I don’t think this guy takes anything for granted, when it comes to how hard to work to achieve what he’s trying to achieve.’’

From pure stuff to competitiveness to demeanor, Sale is at the top of his game. Martinez loves to watch – whether it be on TV from his Miami home, or in person at Fenway. Sometimes, he feels an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

“I’m absolutely enjoying his season,” said Martinez, “because now I’m getting to see some of the things I did in those seasons.’’

Even from south Florida, or back home in the Dominican, Martinez senses that Sale starts have become Events, must-see appointment viewing for baseball fans who appreciate mound excellence. In modern history, the franchise has seen the torch passed from one ace to another – from Roger Clemens, to Martinez, to Curt Schilling, and now, Sale.

“Boston couldn’t be any luckier,’’ observed Martinez, “to have the opportunity to see a performance like that. I’m glad I’m the past and he’s the present. I couldn’t be happier for the city of Boston to actually experience, again, the kind of atmosphere that we had in Fenway whenever I was going to pitch.

“I was always searching for someone that I wanted to consistently see, go out there and do the kind of things that I did and I now I’m getting to see them in Chris Sale. I’m extremely excited and it’s fun to watch, believe me. It’s something worth buying a ticket to go watch.’’

Martinez is a fan of the game, and spends time working as an analyst for TBS. He pays attention and knew how good Sale had been, pitching for poor clubs while in Chicago. But Martinez sensed earlier this year that Boston was about to have something special on its hands.

“I was the first one to say in spring training, ‘This guy has a chance to be even better than I was,’" boasted Martinez. “And people were looking at me like, ‘Whoa … Pedro, maybe you took it a little too far.’ Guess what? I don’t think I did. This kid, his (pitches) are difficult to center and he’s also very durable, very smart. He knows how to utilize everything he has to his advantage.’’

Martinez pitched in an era that was rife with PED use, yet still managed to dominate. In a time when bodies were swollen, so were the offensive numbers. But Martinez was the great equalizer. In 2000, he posted an ERA of 1.74. The next best qualifier in the American League was Roger Clemens, at 3.70, nearly two full runs higher.

Thanks to better testing and more stringent penalties, PED use has been greatly reduced, though not eliminated entirely. That makes Martinez more than a little bit envious.

“There’s no steroids, there’s no guys hitting .330 and 60 (homers),’’ Martinez said.  “The level ground that he’s playing on makes it even more interesting. I’ll tell you what, as a player, I wouldn’t want it any other way than I had it. But I cannot think even think about what it would be like if I had the level ground that Chris Sale is getting. But without a doubt, if someone is going to (dominate), in either era – the steroid era or this era – Chris Sale is one guy suited to do it, on any level. He’s that good. I believe he’s that good.’’

Sale has 241 strikeouts with perhaps as many as nine more starts remaining in the regular season. If he averages slightly more than nine strikeouts per start, he’ll surpass Martinez’s club record.  Martinez will be rooting for his record to fall.

“I would love for him to pass it and do even better, set up another record,’’ he said. “Set up whatever record he can set up. People would understand (that) through hard work and dedication and passion for the game, I think you can achieve whatever you want to achieve in the game. I always said that I wanted to be looked at, with my legacy, as a sign of hope, as a sign of progression, hard work, dedication, someone that did it clean.

“And this guy right now is doing it clean. I believe in him. I believe what he’s doing is good for the game. I always want to see the best out there and he’s doing absolutely the best out there. I wouldn’t be mad whatsoever -- instead I’d be celebrating, because those are the kind of things that I expect from myself and I was actually hoping to see it from someone else, too.’’

It takes more than an electric fastball and pinpoint command to excel, though, and when it comes to the intangibles, Martinez sees Sale is well-equipped.

“This is a throwback kind of guy when it comes to his mental approach and determination,’’ Martinez gushed. “I think this is a very unusual guy coming out every five days. He’s like a throwback in a new era. This is a guy who’s not intimidated by anything. He doesn’t want to get recognition. He just wants to go out there, live up to expectations and do the best that he can as a ballplayer and that’s the big difference. He doesn’t want to be on the front page of the papers -- he just wants to do his job.

“I can guarantee that when the season’s over, he’ll probably be deep in the bushes, hunting or fishing before you know it. This is a guy who doesn’t want a relationship with the cameras. He knows he’s a professional, he knows that it’s part of the package. But he doesn’t want to be exposed that much. But he does care about his game, about his job and he’s really proud of the way he goes about his job. That’s what makes him so unique and that’s why he doesn’t really care about anything else but his work and his teammates.’’

Unlike, say, Josh Beckett, or Rick Porcello, or David Price, Martinez didn’t need a year to assimilate in Boston. Coming from small-market Montreal, Martinez stepped into a baseball cauldron in Boston, but knew how to handle the bigger stage. And the same can he said of Sale, who has made the first-year transition seamlessly.

Rather than be intimidated by Boston, Martinez believes, Sale chose to see Boston as an opportunity.

“Without a doubt,’’ said Martinez. “The fact that he sees himself with a chance to win, with a bigger challenge in front of him, makes him even better. Every challenge that I was up against, especially if it was declared a challenge, I would do really well because I did not back away from any challenges out there. I actually fed off the challenges to be better. I think Boston represented a challenge for him and that’s made him even better than he was. So, I’m not surprised.’’

Still unknown, however, is how Sale performs in the post-season. Price, famously, has struggled, without a win as a starter and a career playoff ERA of 5.54. Sale has never thrown a pitch in the post-season, but Martinez harbors no doubts about the lefthander’s ability to handle the pressures of October.

“If you realize what the post-season is, it’s 27 out, nine innings, and a baseball game,’’ reasoned Martinez.  “The only thing that changes is a player’s mentality -- if you allow it to happen. So if you remain within yourself and you realize that it’s just a game, where you have to perform and do the things you have to do and you actually remain focused, I think it’s the same game. The game doesn’t change. The player’s attitude is what determines whether the game is different or not.’’

Martinez was heartened to hear that Sale seems to relish going into hostile territory and quieting opposing fans. On WEEI Wednesday, Sale said:  “People in New York have never been really nice to me, but they hate me now. … I don’t go to New York to make friends.’’

“I’m glad he’s approaching it that way,’’ said Martinez with a chuckle. “People want to hurt you. But at the end of the day, they want to respect you and that’s what you want. You want to earn the respect of the fans. Whenever they hate you, they don’t really hate you. They’re intimidated by you and I’m glad he’s approaching it that way. If you’re hated in the next city you’re going to, it means you’re doing something special.

“I hope he continues to do that and get the biggest hatred out of New York. Because if he’s doing that, it means he’s doing really well against the Yankees. And that’s what we want.’’

What Martinez also wants is another chance to watch Sale pitch, in person. He plans on being at Fenway Saturday night when Sale faces the Yankees for the second time in seven days.