Martinez Is No Hit in Eyes of the Mets

VERO BEACH, Fla. —  New York Met Manager Bobby Valentine was angry, and he also must have been confused.

Valentine complained that Ramon Martinez frequently hits his players with pitches after the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory over the Mets on Sunday at Holman Stadium, in which the right-hander hit two Mets. In what appeared to be retaliation, Martinez was hit by Met starter Brian Bohannon.

“I am tired of him hitting our players,” Valentine said. “He has better control than he’s shown when he pitches against us.”

What?

Martinez has hit one Met player in his eight-year career, according to research by reporters covering the Mets. Moreover, Valentine, who became the Mets’ manager in August of 1996, wasn’t managing the team at that time.

“[Valentine] must have thought we were throwing at them, but we never threw at his players,” Dodger Manager Bill Russell said. “You don’t throw at guys during spring training. Ramon is going to remember this.”

Martinez hit Luis Lopez and Tim Spehr consecutively to open the second inning. When Martinez was hit in the third inning, he momentarily stood at home plate and stared at Bohannon before walking slowly to first.

The incidents overshadowed another strong performance by Martinez (3-0, 1.63 earned-run average), who will make his fourth consecutive opening-day start March 31 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

He pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up two runs--one earned--on six hits. He struck out five and walked one, but didn’t factor in the decision.

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Martinez, who turned 30 on Sunday, was expected to receive a big surprise at his rented home here.

Many of his family members, including his parents, were scheduled to arrive in the evening to celebrate his birthday. Ramon’s younger brother, Pedro, chartered a private plane so Ramon wouldn’t be alone.

“This is the first time I’ve done something like this for him,” said Pedro, the 1997 National League Cy Young Award winner with the Montreal Expos, now the game’s highest-paid player with the Boston Red Sox.

“He’s always been the big brother, the one bringing us gifts. It’s time we did something for him.”

Pedro also pitched well Sunday, going six innings against the Minnesota Twins. He gave up two runs on six hits, and struck out seven with two walks.

And what was the gift Ramon received from Pedro? A 1998 Ferrari.

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The Dodgers placed outfielder Roger Cedeno on the 15-day disabled list. Cedeno has been sidelined since March 1 after suffering a severe right hamstring strain. The Dodgers hope he will be ready in time for their home opener April 7 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. . . . Eric Karros will have his sore left knee examined today in Los Angeles. A source said the injury appears to be serious and that Karros might need surgery.