Pedro Over Roger
Martinez Was More Effective in Preventing Opponents From Scoring
Pedro Martinez was a better pitcher than Roger Clemens. The basic premise is that the pitcher’s job is to prevent the opposition from scoring. Pedro did that better than Roger.
Pedro Became Baseball's Best Pitcher in 1997
Originally signed by Los Angeles as an amateur free agent in 1988, Pedro was a good young pitcher with great potential. In one of the worst trades ever, Los Angeles sent Pedro Martinez to Montreal for second base man Delino DeShields in 1993. Although he won at least 10 games every season from 1993-1996, Pedro became the best pitcher in baseball in 1997, when he won 17, lost 8, and led National League pitchers in ERA (1.90), WHIP (0.932), fewest hits per nine innings (5.89), strikeouts per nine innings (11.37 with 305 strikeouts), and complete games (13). Financially challenged Montreal could not afford to keep Pedro. In November 1997, they sent him to Boston for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas.
Pedro Dominated From 1997-2003
From 1997-2003, Pedro was the most dominating pitcher in baseball. He won 118 and lost only 36 for an incredible .766 winning percentage. He was 23-4 in 1999 and 20-4 in 2002, had over 300 strikeouts twice, and during the seven year span, his ERA was 2.20 and his WHIP (Walks Hits Innings Pitched) was an amazing 0.940. Pedro allowed only 1009 hits in 1408 innings.
During a seven year span, Pedro Martinez had an ERA of 2.20, and all but one of those seasons was in the American League. More remarkable was his WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) of less that 1.000. He had more than 300 strikeouts in two of those seasons.
Roger's Best Seven Seasons
Roger Clemens best seven season span was from 1986-1992, but let’s tilt the comparison to favor Roger by selecting his BEST seven seasons. Roger won 20 or more games in all but one of those seasons ('86-'88, '90, '98, '98, and '01). His ERA was 2.64, his WHIP was 1.093, and in 1747 innings he allowed only 1415 hits. He won 144 and lost 47 for a .754 percentage.
Pedro Is Ahead of Roger
Pedro Martinez allowed fewer hits per innings pitched, fewer walks per innings pitched, fewer runs per nine innings, and more strike outs per nine innings than Roger Clemens when one compares their top seven seasons. Lifetime, the results are similar. Pedro has a 2.81 ERA. Roger's is 3.13. Pedro allows fewer hits per nine innings(6.85) than Roger (7.67), averages more strikeouts (10.19 to 8.56) and yields fewer walks. Pedro's lifetime WHIP is 1.027 compared to Roger's 1.173.
Clemens' Longevity
Clemens has had a longer, better career but Pedro has had a more effective one. Whether one compares their best (peak) seven seasons or their lifetime totals, Pedro prevented the opposition from scoring more effectively. One should be impressed by Clemens’ longevity and by his 354 lifetime wins, but even there, Clemens’ won-loss percentage is .658. Pedro’s is .692.
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