Pedro Martinez to retire?
New York Mets pitcher and future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez said he is thinking about retiring.
His contract with the Mets is up after this season.
The reason he gave is much bigger than him thinking he doesn’t have it anymore, Martinez believes he needs to spend more time with his ailing father.
The rehabbing Mets pitcher told the New York Daily News for Tuesday’s editions that he will mull retirement in the offseason so he can tend to his ailing 78-year-old father Pablo, who is battling a form of brain cancer.
“It’s taking a toll on me and my family, my dad’s situation,” Martinez told the Daily News. “I haven’t been there for them. I just realized that between last year and this year I haven’t been there for my family, my parents.
“That’ll probably drag me away from the game a little sooner than people expect.
“After this season, I’m going to go back home and think about it and I’m going to decide.”
“I’m healthy and if I’m healthy, I can get big league hitters out.”
“He’s stable, but he’s not going to get any better,” he told the Daily News. “He can’t take any more chemo. We’re letting him have a nice end of his life. The chemo is not going to help him. If they give him the chemo that might be it.
“They told me there’s nothing we can do. He’s eventually going to deteriorate.”
Although I already miss seeing the dominate Pedro Martinez, the one who owned the league while playing for Boston, this is a very noble reason to leave something you love. For something you love even more. If Pedro does retire after this season we can all look back on his wonderful career and forward to his enshrinement in 2013.
