BOSTON (AP) – The Boston Red Sox needed three tries to play their home opener, and when it was done they wished they hadn’t.
Pedro Martinez had the worst outing of his career as the Baltimore Orioles beat Boston 13-6 Saturday in a game delayed twice by frightening scenes.
Red Sox third base coach Mike Cubbage collapsed on the field in a diabetic seizure and plate umpire Jerry Layne was injured when he was hit in the facemask by a pitch from Martinez, casting a pall over the twice-delayed festivities.
“All the things that happened tonight – just weird,” Martinez said. “Only at Fenway do you see that.”
Cubbage responded to treatment and was hospitalized overnight as a precaution. Layne left the game with pain in his spine. He was taken for X-rays and replaced the rest of the way.
Martinez (0-1) gave up a career-high 10 runs on nine hits and four walks in 4 1-3 innings. He struck out five but was charged with seven runs in the fifth – the most runs the three-time Cy Young winner has allowed in one inning in his career.
“I can guarantee you one thing: Pedro Martinez will be back again in five days,” Boston manager Grady Little said. “It is not something you will see very often.”
The seven-run loss matched the biggest home-opening loss in Red Sox franchise history. Martinez’s ERA ballooned from 0.60 to 5.12.
“It was obvious he wasn’t on his game,” Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. “He’s beat on us for a long time. We could beat on him for the next 10 years and he’d still be ahead.”
Jason Johnson (1-0) gave up three runs on six hits in 6 1-3 innings, striking out five and walking one. B.J. Surhoff and Deivi Cruz drove in two runs apiece in the seven-run fifth inning to chase Martinez and turn a 3-2 Orioles lead into a blowout.
The home opener was originally scheduled for Friday but delayed to Saturday afternoon because of rain and then postponed to Aug. 8. With flashbulbs popping, Jerry Hairston lined Martinez’s first pitch past third baseman Shea Hillenbrand for a single.
It was that kind of night for the Red Sox.
“I was ready to go yesterday, and I really felt good. I was pumped,” Martinez said. “But things happen. No excuses. The other kid went out and pitched a good game. Why shouldn’t I?”
Jay Gibbons hit a two-out, two-run double and Tony Batista followed with an RBI single to give Baltimore a 3-0 lead in the first. Johnny Damon had a two-run homer to cut the lead to 3-2, pulling it to right field while construction workers sitting in the new section of seats they built above the Green Monster waited in vain for a homer to land there.
Geronimo Gil singled to lead off the fifth, Hairston sacrificed him to second and Gary Matthews Jr. followed with an RBI double. David Segui singled to make it 5-2, Jeff Conine walked and Gibbons singled to load the bases.
Batista walked to force in a run, and Surhoff followed with his two-run single to right. Steve Woodard relieved Martinez and gave up Cruz’s double that made it 10-2 before getting Gil on a groundout and Hairston on a flyout.
Martinez heard a few boos as he left the field and paused to take note of one fan who reminded him of the $17.5 million option the team picked up last week – seven months early – to keep the ace happy.
“I just wanted to keep him in my mind, as a person,” Martinez said with a glare. “But I’m used to Boston, and I know how the people are.”
Todd Walker hit a two-run homer in the ninth for Boston.
Notes: The previous worst outing of Martinez’s career was July 18, 1999, when he gave up nine runs to the Florida Marlins five days after being named MVP of the All-Star game. He went on the disabled list after that start. … Martinez gave up seven earned runs in a 12-11 loss to Toronto in the home opener last year. … Boston had won nine of 11 home openers. … Cruz was 3-for-28 with a pair of strikeouts against Martinez before his two-run double in the fifth. … Kevin Millar was 3-for-4 for Boston. … Manny Ramirez is 0-for-8 after hitting safely in his previous 22 games dating to last season. … Matthews also had a two-run single in the ninth to make it 13-4. … Boston RHP Tim Wakefield will pitch out of the bullpen for a while due to the rainouts.
AP-ES-04-12-03 2339EDT
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