Pedro Martinez: Who's Your Daddy

NEW YORK - Sitting on a podium in front of reporters at Yankee Stadium one day before the start of the Fall Classic, Phillies starter Pedro Martinez was asked about facing the Yankees lineup in Game 2 of the World Series.

He refused to comment.

Another reporter asked the veteran how he would adjust if the Yankees began to hit him hard or took an early lead in the contest.

The pitcher raised his eyebrows and gave the colorful equivalent of a "no comment."

Martinez was then asked about the Yankees fans, the same boisterous fans that chant "Who's your daddy?" every time he takes the mound in The Bronx.

Martinez smiled. This time, a "no comment" would not suffice.

"If there is a boo, it's out of respect. If there is a clap, it's out of respect," he said. "Anything they do, it's acknowledging that I am there and I take it all as a positive regardless of what happens. The fans are here to have fun and as long as they cross the line, I will be pleased with whatever."

Martinez has a long history against the Yankees. He is 11-11 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 career starts against them in the regular season, and was 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 career starts at the old Yankee Stadium.  He is 1-2 with a 4.72 ERA in six postseason appearances against the Yankees, and is 0-2 with a 5.93 ERA in his past five.

As a member of the Red Sox in 2004, Martinez struggled against the Yankees and playfully called them "my daddy" in a postgame interview. During the 2004 ALCS and in every game ever since, Yankees fans have reminded him of his words by chanting them.

"They've never been nice to me here (at Yankee Stadium)," he said. "I'm just going to keep doing what God has meant for me to do and I'm going to try to execute. I enjoy every single moment I have in baseball, not just at Yankee Stadium. ... I pitch here just like every other field and I take a lot of pride and joy in doing it but I don't think this is my house."

Home, it seems, is in Philly.

A late-season addition in Philadelphia, Martinez went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts for the Phillies. In Game 2 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, he gave up two hits in seven scoreless innings against the Dodgers.

He's already made quite an impression.

"I used to think he was kind of cocky and arrogant, and he's a little cocky, but he's definitely not arrogant," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. " He's a baseball guy.  He has a tremendous feel for the game, and he knows a lot about it, and he loves to compete.  The bigger the moment, the bigger the stage, I think the more he likes it.  He's been very good for our club, and he fits real well. "

Near the end of his media session, Martinez was again pressed about his strategy against the Yankees and the crafty veteran finally answered the question.

Sort of.

 "The whole game is about adjustments," he said. " When you're high, you come low. When you're away, you try to come in. I'm a person that will say I do make adjustments in the middle of the game. I invent little things in the middle of the game to try to get an edge and win the ball game. If it's legal I will try to do it."