It wasn't exactly Pete Rose matching Ty Cobb's hit record or
Hank Aaron equaling Babe Ruth's home run mark, but on June 2 in
Milwaukee, Braves righthander Dennis Martinez finally caught
Juan Marichal. Martinez scattered a dozen hits in a 9-0 shutout
of the Brewers to pick up his 243rd career victory, tying
Marichal for the most wins by a Latin American pitcher. One of
the many well-wishers to phone the player nicknamed el
Presidente was Nicaragua's actual presidente, Arnoldo Aleman.
"He told me they were proud of me, that I was a great example to
the young people of Nicaragua," Martinez says.
Martinez was two wins short of Marichal's record when he called
it quits in June '97 after a disastrous 1-5 stint with the
Mariners. He thought his right arm—or, as he calls it, his
moneymaker—was spent after 22 seasons in the majors. But after
throwing batting practice to his 24-year-old son, Dennis Jr., in
the off-season, he felt a little life in his arm. He decided to
take another shot at Marichal's mark. (Not everyone was pleased
with his comeback. Marichal, a native of the Dominican Republic,
was quoted in the spring as saying Martinez would "embarrass"
himself.)
For Martinez, though, the record goes beyond national pride or
proving a point to Marichal. Martinez is aware that Marichal, a
six-time 20-game winner, needed just 16 seasons to win 243 while
he has needed 23. But Martinez, 43, is just as proud of the fact
that he has stubbornly refused to give up playing as he is of
his 243 wins.
"My arrogance, that's what made me what I am," he says. "When I
was a kid, we didn't have much. I always had to fight for
everything, but I'd get it. When I was retired, a part of me,
deep inside of me, knew I still had some hope, still had some
desire."
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Issue date: June 15, 1998
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