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Pedro Martinez calls Jason Varitek Red Sox ‘legend,’ missed hugging him at Friday’s ceremony
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- Pedro Martinez calls Jason Varitek Red Sox ‘legend,’ missed hugging him at Friday’s ceremony
BOSTON — Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez was one of six Red Sox legends to throw out the first pitch Friday, celebrating the 125th anniversary of Boston’s first home game.
He felt the absence of his former teammate and catcher Jason Varitek at Fenway Park.
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“Very unfortunate that I don’t get to see my battery mate out there, giving me a hug or probably receiving the baseball from me when I threw it today,” Martinez said.
The Red Sox fired Varitek as their game planning and run prevention coach on April 25, announcing in a press release that evening that they were reassigning him to a different position. He’s not expected to accept any new role .
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow also fired manager Alex Cora and five other coaches — Ramón Vázquez, Pete Fatse, Kyle Hudson, Dillon Lawson and Joe Cronin — that same night.
Martinez said he has not yet received an explanation about why the team removed Varitek from his role on the coaching staff.
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“To be honest, I’m not gonna go into details without knowing why because I haven’t really been inside the offices,” Martinez said. “I’m pretty sure they’re gonna let me know. There’s gotta be a reason because Tek means so much to this city just like every one of us. Like David, all of us that won it in ‘04 and all the legends that were out there.
“To me, Tek is a legend here,” Martinez added. “And I’m not gonna go into details because I don’t know. If I knew, I’ll tell you straight up, too. I’ll tell you why, but I don’t know.”
Martinez threw out the first pitch alongside David Ortiz , Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk and Wade Boggs.
Martinez said he has not yet spoken with Varitek but has talked with Cora.
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“Tek is not a phone kind of person. Cora is a little bit more,” Martinez said. “I was able to reach out. But they all know. They will soon be in baseball. That I can tell you. Every one of those coaches probably will be in baseball, 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.”
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