It's Good To See You Again, Pedro

When the Red Sox declined to resign Pedro Martinez to a multi-year deal after the 2004 season, I was sorry to see the man leave town but understanding of the reasoning behind management's position. This wasn't the Pedro who had taken Boston by storm in 1998 and 1999, a flame-throwing beast who could strike out 17 Yankees or shut down the dangerous Indians seemingly at will. His skills had diminished, his body was failing, and he wasn't thought to be worth the risk of four year deal which he sought.

Turns out, that thought process was correct. Pedro signed with the New York Mets and turned in an excellent debut season (15-8, 2.82 ERA, 208 SO), prompting some in Boston to suggest that the deal should have been a no-brainer. In 2006, however, it all came crashing down. Never fully healthy, he struggled to a 9-8 record and career-worst 4.48 ERA; even worse was the word that he finally needed surgery to repair a damaged right shoulder. He finished the year in limbo, uncertain if he would ever throw another pitch in anger, two strikeouts shy of 3,000 for his career.

There was talk that he was done, that his baseball resume was complete. Even I considered that - looking at the numbers, thinking about how much I wanted him to get those last two Ks, wanting him to put that one last exclamation point on the story of his career, and wondering if it would ever actually happen.

I didn't fully understand the heart of Pedro Martinez.

He stepped back onto the mound in Cincinnati tonight, ten months removed from that surgery, and promptly gave up two runs in the first inning. His fastball was slower than it's ever been - 82, 82, 83, according to the game recap - and the naysayers were no doubt preparing to pen their sad odes to a great career. Then he found it, "dialed it up" into the high-80s, and began to shut down the Reds.

Scott Hatteberg, a former Red Sox teammate, stepped in and was promptly sent back to the bench. Victim No. 2999. A non-believer still, Hatteberg had this to say after the game:

"He didn't look like he had his old stuff, and I wouldn't expect him to...He has a long way to go to get back to his old stuff.

"He had just electric stuff, with a 94 mph fastball and sharp, breaking curve. He may get there, but he isn't close now. It's obvious he knows how to pitch."

"It's obvious he knows how to pitch." Spoken like it's something we never really knew, and are just now figuring out. Do guys strain muscles in their pitching shoulder in a short playoff series, then charge out of the bullpen days later to no-hit the best offense in baseball for six innings without knowing how to pitch? Or thoroughly dominate a Yankees team that will go on to win the World Series, allowing only one hit and striking out 17? He's always known how to pitch, has Pedro. We had just forgotten how smart he actually was.

Pedro will never have his "old stuff" back. He's 35 years old with a variety of injuries. He's a back-end starter, a guy who goes out there once a week or so when the team needs a boost and manages to claw and scratch and fight for five or six innings before handing things over to the bullpen. He's the guy who can sit on the bench and talk to the young pitchers about their approach - they'll never have his ability, but they can have his brain.

And he's the guy who has 3,000 career strikeouts, the 15th such pitcher in major league history, thanks to Reds pitcher Aaron Harang.

I'm glad you're back, Pedro. I may not be a Mets fan, but I wasn't ready for you to go away just yet. Not because some doctor said it was time.

Photo: Yahoo! Sports/AP/Tom Uhlman