People began to talk seriously about ranking Pedro among the greatest pitchers - ever - after this season. He was almost unhittable, had
incredible control, and struck out batters at a record pace. He became the first starting pitcher to average more than 13 strikeouts per nine innings (he finished with 13.20 K/IP). In addition to
his wonderful regular season, Martinez had some other accomplishments that will
likely be remembered. His awesome All-Star Game (at Fenway Park), where he struck out five of the six hitters he faced, was a highlight. In the playoffs against Cleveland, Martinez only lasted four innings in his first start beore leaving with an injury. He wasn't seen again until the final game, when he came into the game in relief and threw six shutout innings, ending one of the wildest games and one of the wildest playoff series I have ever seen with a Boston victory.
David Cone's 3.44 ERA was second best in the
league, next to Pedro's 2.07. I don't think any pitcher has ever led the league
in ERA by such a huge margin. Cone also threw a perfect game during the season,
but was not durable enough to pile up many wins. Mike Mussina had another
outstanding season for Baltimore, and I will rank him behind Martinez. Bartolo
Colon, a young fireballer for Cleveland, also had a wonderful season and deserves
to rank among the top four. Colon, however, had the misfortune to start Game Four of that Boston-Cleveland series; Boston won that game 23-7, setting up the wild finale.
The best reliever in the league was the Yankees'
Mariano Rivera. Not only did he lead the AL in saves, but Rivera didn't give
up any runs past July. He didn't give up any in the playoffs, either, and
was the World Series MVP. The Yankees may not have had the best pitcher in
the league, but with Cone, Rivera, and Orlando Hernandez (not to mention
Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte), they had the most complete staff in the
league.
