Pedro Martinez returns to Red Sox
Former right-hander Pedro Martinez will rejoin the Boston Red Sox as a special assistant to general manager Ben Cherington.
"I think I'll be involved in everything," said Martinez, who will serve as a mentor to young pitchers and an adviser to Cherington. "I'm going to communicate with Ben and with the front office and also help out in the field. I want to be with everybody and I want to be in everything. Definitely in the field. I want to get my nose dirty."
Martinez spent seven seasons with the Red Sox, from 1998 to 2004, during which time he became friendly with Cherington. The three-time Cy Young Award winner made several trips to Fenway Park last season for the ballpark's 100th anniversary festivities, each time counseling Cherington as the Red Sox went through a 93-loss season under former manager Bobby Valentine.
Martinez will spend some time with the major-league pitchers, but he may work primarily with minor-leaguers. "Mentally, you know that everybody is not going to be at your level and everybody is unique," Martinez said. "I'm not going to force them to be like me. It's impossible to be me. It's impossible to be Roger (Clemens). But you can also pick and choose some of the things that you can help them with and hopefully help out."
