Top 5 all-time Boston Red Sox starting pitchers

1. Pedro Martinez

Whenever Pedro Martinez stepped on the mound with the Boston Red Sox, it was an absolute thing of beauty. Pedro’s changeup is one of the best pitches of all time and he would use it to baffle hitters.

Boston Red Sox

Pedro had everything going against him during his time in Boston. He pitched in the toughest era ever as a pitcher in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s that many people refer to as “The Steroids Era.”

Martinez knows that he pitched so great in such a tough era, but he claims that “he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”

"“I appreciate the fact that I had to face probably the toughest matchup out there, and guess what? I didn’t want it any other way. I wanted to beat the best. I wanted to be the best I could be every time I went out there.”"

However, Pedro’s impact in Boston will never be forgotten. From 1999-2003, Martinez had one of the best five-year stretches baseball has ever seen in The Steroid Era. In those years, the right-hander went 82-21 with a 2.10 ERA and struck out 1,250 batters in 900 innings. Overall in Boston, Pedro went 117-37 with a 2.52 ERA and struck out 1,683 batters in 1,383.2 innings.

Martinez ranks third in Boston Red Sox history in WAR at 53.9, tenth in ERA, sixth in wins, first in win-loss percentage, second in WHIP, third in strikeouts, and first in K/BB ratio.

Although 2004 was his worst year statistically with the Red Sox, the Hall-of-Famer will forever be remembered for helping the team finally win the World Series in 2004. Martinez struggled heavily against the Yankees in 2003 and 2004, but he was terrific against everyone else in the postseason. Pedro went 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA in the regular season and went 2-1 with a 4.00 ERA in the playoffs in ’04.

Pedro Martinez is a legend in the city of Boston, and should not only be recognized as one of the best pitchers in Red Sox history but also as one of the best pitchers ever in baseball history.