Pedro Is Enemy Number 1 In New York

Pedro Martinez is hated equally by New York Yankees and Mets fans, and is the perfect centerpiece for tonight’s World Series game.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ right hander is reviled in New York Yankee land for his role as the chief  “bad guy” for the Boston Red Sox.

Among Martinez’ sins was his role in a brawl when he tussled in 2003 with Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer.

Martinez was then signed by the New York Mets to a huge contract, and played poorly for the Mets.

Last winter, the Mets refused to sign Martinez and he sat home in the Dominican Republic, waiting for a team to call.

The Phillies were the only aggressive suitor for Martinez, 38, a sure Hall of Famer. Their small investment paid huge dividends, as Martinez pitched well for the Phillies.

Tonight, Martinez faces New York Yankees’ free-agent signing A.J. Burnett, the pitcher who broke Jayson Werth’s wrist and almost ended Werth’s career.

On Wednesday, Martinez played with and taunted the New York media, who seemed awestruck at a press conference.

Martinez told reporters that he is "the most influential player who ever stepped in Yankee Stadium.''

In New York, the media isn’t buying Martinez’ act.

Dan Rosenheck of the New York Times expects Pedro to get hammered by the Yankees.

“(Charlie) Manuel’s choice makes for a great story, but don’t be surprised if it has an unhappy ending for Phillies fans,” he writes.

The New York Daily News John Harper thinks Martinez is too excited to pitch against the Yankees one more time.

“All these years later, however, you wonder if all that emotion will just get in his way.”

But in The New York Post, a newspaper that literally demonized Martinez in the past, guest writer David Wells is a Pedro believer.

“Pedro knows what to expect, but right now if he pitches to his capabilities and keeps the ball down, he's got a chance in that ballpark, because if you get your pitches elevated you're done,” Wells says.

Pedro Martinez says one reason for his anger is that the New York media portrayed him as the Devil and a Yankees player cursed his mother.

It moments like that, Martinez says, that makes him want to beat the Yankees so badly.

The future Hall of Famer told reporters he was deeply offended when the New York media doctored his photo to make him look like Satan when Martinez reportedly was talking to the Steinbrenner family about joining the Yankees.

“One of your colleagues had me in the paper with red horns and a tail. It’s a sign of the devil. I’m a Christian man. I don’t like those things.”

“Those things influence fans and they think you are a bad person,” Martinez said.

But what really offended Martinez was when former Yankee Karim Garcia confronted him during a game and starting cursing about Pedro’s mother.

“He told me a couple of bad words about my mom,” he said.