Martinez posts 3,000th strikeout

CINCINNATI, Ohio: New York Mets star righthander Pedro Martinez recorded the 3,000th strikeout of his career when he retired Cincinnati Reds starter Aaron Harang in the second inning of Monday's contest.

Martinez became the 15th major league pitcher to reach the milestone, and he did it in his first start of the season after rotator cuff surgery on October 5, 2006.

Martinez battled through five innings and David Wright belted a two-run homer as the Mets made his return a winning one with a 10-4 victory against the Cincinnati Reds.

Moises Alou and Carlos Delgado each hit solo home runs for the Mets, who hold a five-game lead on the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.

It was the fourth straight win for the Mets, who were swept by the Phillies last week.

A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Martinez was not quite his former self.

He relied more on guile and pitching expertise than the overpowering stuff which made him one of the most dominant hurlers in the major leagues.

New York, which has seen its lead in the NL East dwindle in the season's second half, hope to receive a late-season boost from Martinez. While he was not dominant on Monday, Martinez kept his team in the game.

The 35-year-old righthander allowed three runs and five hits while striking out four and walking three in five innings - leaving after 76 pitches.

He topped out at 89 miles per hour with his fastball and seemed to rely on his breaking pitch to throw strikes.

Scott Schoeneweis, Pedro Feliciano, Guillermo Mota and Aaron Sele each tossed an inning to close out the game.

AFP

(China Daily 09/05/2007 page23)