During his dominant seven-year tenure with the Red Sox, Pedro Martínez earned two Cy Young Awards. On Friday night, he was at Fenway Park to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the franchise’s first home game, taking part in a pregame ceremony that included all living Red Sox alumni with retired numbers—such as Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, David Ortiz, and Jim Rice.
Martínez expressed strong support for Jason Varitek and Alex Cora, who were let go by the Boston Red Sox last month as part of a sweeping coaching staff overhaul. Varitek, who served as Martínez’s catcher for all seven of his seasons in Boston, holds a special place in the pitcher’s heart.
“They’re going to let me know, there’s got to be a reason because Tek means so much to this city,” Martínez said. “To me, Tek is a legend here, and I’m not going to go into details because I don’t know. If I knew, I’d tell you straight up, too. I’d tell you why (he was reassigned), but I don’t know. But it’s very unfortunate that I don’t get to see my batterymate out there, giving me a hug or probably receiving the baseball from me when I threw it today.”
Although the Red Sox announced that Varitek had been reassigned to a different role within the organization after being dismissed as game-planning coordinator, a league source indicated that was not accurate. The team has not yet clarified the specific role offered to Varitek, stating in a press release the night of the firings that details would be shared at a later date.
Martínez noted that he hasn’t spoken directly with Varitek—“Tek is not a phone kind of person,” he said—but he did reach out to Cora. “I was able to reach out, but they all know they will soon be in baseball,” Martínez said. “That I can tell you. Every one of those coaches probably will be in baseball in not too long. Cora could have easily been in baseball if he wanted to, but he chose to rest, and I really respect that. I know what it’s like and I really like the fact that he went to his family to take care of his family first, until he finally gets back to baseball. If he does.” Cora had turned down an opportunity to manage the Philadelphia Phillies after the team fired Rob Thomson shortly following Cora’s own dismissal.
Martínez, who has served as a club adviser for several years—often working with pitchers during spring training—expressed openness to taking on a more substantial role with the organization. “I’m always open to help out,” he said. “I’m not going to go for 162 (games) with the team, that I can tell you right away. I’m not going to be with the team 162, but in any other role that they need me to be, could be to be here more frequently, could be (to) join the team anywhere or join the front office in some ways, like they normally do. I don’t mind. I’m here to help, and I’m committed. And they know it. It’s just a matter of putting it all together and picking the spots where they feel like I’m helpful.”
