DAVID DORSEY

DDORSEY@NEWS-PRESS.COM

Pedro Martinez, in being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today, evoked memories from the most unforgettable of the 340-or-so spring training games I have witnessed.

Even without re-reading my game story, published March 15, 2000, I can recall then-Boston Herald sportswriter Tony Massarotti, sitting in the City of Palms Park press box, advising fellow scribes not to jinx the perfect game that was unfolding in front of us.

My then-colleague Glenn Miller had the day off. In those days, I covered the Minnesota Twins, but that "historic" March 14, I landed a rare Red Sox game.

In those days, reporters talked to each other more than they do now. These days, reporters are more inclined to send Tweets to one another during games than they are to speak to one another – even when sitting next to each other.

Anyway, Martinez started that game. He pitched three perfect innings. Because pitchers use the first two-to-three weeks of spring training to build up their arm strength, returning for the fourth inning wasn't an option.

As the action continued, reliever after reliever continually baffled the Toronto Blue Jays batters.

But what made this game – 27 batters up, 27 batters down – so memorable, was the oversized personality of Martinez.

He was showering during the late innings. In the ninth inning, he emerged from the clubhouse, and he was going to leave City of Palms Park, out the back parking lot used by the players.

The scrum of reporters urged him to stick around and watch the rest of the game. Martinez then realized that his team had continued pitching to perfection.

So Martinez stood among the reporters. How significant was this perfect game? For the Boston media, they were joking about it. The game didn't count. But for me, I just thought it was incredible. No one keeps statistics of spring training perfect games. I had never seen one before, and I haven't seen one since.

At the time, there had been just 16 perfect games during the regular season in all of Major League Baseball since Cy Young pitched one in 1904.

There have been seven perfect games pitched since then – but none during spring training.

As soon as Boston Red Sox reliever Rod Beck struck out the 27th batter, Martinez turned to the scrum of reporters and declared: "I pitched a perfect game! I pitched a perfect game!"

Martinez then turned and left the ballpark.

Congratulations to Pedro Martinez in being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Here's the game story from almost 15 years ago:

Red Sox already perfect, so why play the season?

No runs, no hits, no problem as Red Sox dominate Jays

By DAVID DORSEY

The News-Press

FORT MYERS - Pedro Martinez led a collection of six Boston Red Sox pitchers Tuesday afternoon in combining for one of the rarest accomplishments in sports: a perfect game.

Martinez struck out six and threw 50 pitches in three innings of work as the Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 before a City of Palms Park record crowd of 7,139 fans.

"If we play the game the way we did today, we're going to win a lot more games than we did last year," Martinez said.

As Red Sox closer Rod Beck faced the game's 27th and final batter, Blue Jays catcher Alberto Castillo, Martinez watched the final at-bat on TV just outside the clubhouse as he prepared to leave the stadium. He had already showered and apparently wasn't aware of what was about to happen.

"Do you realize you've got a perfect game going?" a reporter asked, at which point Martinez started knocking on the wall behind him. "Knock on wood," Martinez said.

Beck struck out Castillo swinging, and Martinez bolted for his car in the parking lot, laughing and screaming: "I've got a perfect game! I've got a perfect game."

There have been 16 regular- season perfect games in modern baseball history, dating back to Cy Young's 3-0 victory against Philadelphia on May 5, 1904.

To get a perfect game, all 27 opposing batters must be retired with no hits, walks or errors made.

Red Sox media relations officials were not certain if Tuesday's perfect game marked the first one in spring training history as those records aren't kept. But it was the first spring training no-hitter since March 16, 1996, when the Anaheim Angels defeated the San Francisco Giants 15-0.

It was the first perfect game in City of Palms park history.

The Sox have enjoyed 15 regular-season no-hitters in franchise history and two perfect games.

A spring training perfect game, however, meant little to the players, most of whom had already left the ballpark before the final out.

"I don't think I've ever seen one," Red Sox manager Jimy Williams said. "I think more important than that was the way we performed out there. We all played well.

"We all had outstanding games. Nomar did good for us to drive in those runs."

Nomar Garciaparra, who had been resting his strained right knee, started at shortstop for just the second time this spring and hit his first home run of the Grapefruit League season.

Garciaparra's three-run homer in the fifth inning gave Boston a 5-0 lead as the Red Sox improved their spring record to 5-9.

Garciaparra also drove in a run in the fourth inning and finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and four RBI.

"Nomar, we don't need Nomar to practice," Martinez said. "He's ready. Everybody else seems to be doing well, but Nomar, he can go home. He's ready to play.

"The man was born to play this game. Bring him to a field, throw him a bat and a glove, and he's ready."

Throw Martinez a ball and a glove, and he appears to be ready as well.

Martinez struck out the first three batters he faced. He struck out one in the second inning and two more in the third. He threw 50 pitches, 31 being strikes.

"Give me a whole game," Martinez said.

Martinez won't get a whole game until the regular season begins, but he's scheduled to start again Sunday in Fort Lauderdale against the Baltimore Orioles.

After Martinez left the game, pitcher Fernando De La Cruz entered the fourth by getting the first three batters he faced to pop up in the outfield. He struck out one in the fifth, got one batter to ground out and another to pop out.

Dan Smith, Rheal Cormier, Rich Garces and Beck followed De La Cruz, pitching one perfect inning apiece.

The six Boston pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts. Only three Blue Jays grounded out. The other 13 outs were on pop flies.

"The fans who came got their money's worth, that's for sure," Garciaparra said. "It's nice. It's spring training, but it's still a good accomplishment. It was a good game. It was fun to watch."

Red Sox designated hitter Marty Cordova had been a part of a perfect game before. He played left field for the Twins when New York Yankees pitcher David Wells threw a perfect game in 1998.

"This one was better," Cordova said, "because I was on the winning end of it. The last one, I was on the losing end of it."

Beck, who got the final three outs, said he was surprised anyone knew it was a perfect game.

"As exciting as it is today - it's pretty cool - it's still spring training," Beck said.

"I'm surprised. It's amazing to me that everybody in here knew."

Garces, who pitched the eighth inning, said he wasn't even thinking about a perfect game.

"I was just trying to get my one, two, three outs," Garces said. "That's pretty good."

Said De La Cruz: "I'm proud that we had a perfect game. Hopefully we'll get one of those in the regular season."

AT THE PLATE: Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek went 2-for-3.

ON THE MOUND: Overshadowed by Martinez, Toronto Blue Jays starter Nerio Rodriguez gave up just one hit and no runs in three innings of work, with one walk.

PERFECT IN EVERY WAY - EXCEPT IT DOESN'T COUNT

How the six Boston Red Sox pitchers got their perfect game (27 batters up, 27 down) Tuesday, March 14, 2000 at City of Palms Park:

PEDRO MARTINEZ: 3 innings, 6 strikeouts, 3 popouts

FERNANDO DE LA CRUZ: 2 innings, 1 strikeout, 3 popouts, one groundout

DAN SMITH: 1 inning, 1 strikeout, 2 popouts

RHEAL CORMIER: 2 popouts, 1 groundout

RICH GARCES: 1 strikeout, 1 popout, 1 groundout

ROD BECK: 2 strikeouts, 1 popout