Oh daddy - Martinez gets start in New York

Former Boston Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez, a 38-year-old Dominican right-hander with a history of pitching big games against the New York Yankees, will add to that legacy in game two of the World Series.

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel announced Tuesday that Martinez would take the mound for the defending World Series champions in Thursday's game two of Major League Baseball's best-of-seven championship final at Yankee Stadium.

"This is not a dream," Martinez said. "This is reality, a reality that very few have the opportunity to live. I'm one of the blessed ones who actually lived it, and realized it, more than once."

Martinez, who last pitched in the World Series in 2004 with the Red Sox, is 12-13 with a 3.41 earned-run average in 38 career outings against the Yankees, whose ability to beat him in big games sparked a frustrating comment in 2004.

"I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy," Martinez said at the time, inspiring the Bronx faithful to green his every Yankee Stadium appearance since with chants of "Who's Your Daddy".

In 2003 with Boston, Martinez became a special part of the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry lore by tossing elderly Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground when he can to the mound in a benches-clearing melee during a game.

The Yankees are more concerned about how Martinez hurls pitches than coaches even with his 1-2 record and 4.72 earned-run average in playoff games against New York.

"Pedro is one of the best pitchers to ever play this game," Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter said. "It's always a challenge when we face him."

Martinez signed with the Phillies at mid-season and went 5-1 with a 3.63 earned-run average, then hurled seven shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League finals.

Now he is back in the World Series just five days after his 38th birthday.

"It's something I didn't imagine although I had the hope in picking the team that had a chance to win," Martinez said. "I'm looking very intelligent."

Martinez last threw in the Bronx in 2005 for the New York Mets, pitching eight innings in a 6-4 victory at the original Yankee Stadium across the street from the new 1.3 billion-dollar ballpark where he will pitch in game two.

"I think this is going to be a real big moment for him," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's used to it, he has done it before and he is the guy who is more apt to handle it good. This is the perfect situation for him."

Two friends and former Cleveland star southpaws, C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees and Cliff Lee of the Phillies, will pitch Wednesday's opener, provided forecasts of rain prove false.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," Sabathia said.

Martinez will throw against New York's A.J. Burnett in game two with Yankee veteran Andy Pettitte going to the mound in game three against Philadelphia left-hander Cole Hamels, last year's World Series Most Valuable Player.

Hamels was a possible game two starter but Manuel chose to have him pitch at home, where his statistics have been superior to road efforts.

"I wanted to split my lefties up and also I felt like Pedro was the ideal guy to go in between them because of what type of pitcher he is, his command - how he can change speeds and the fact that he's been here before," Manuel said.