Klapisch: How Juan Marichal and country inspired Pedro Martinez
From Roberto Salvador Klapisch at La Vida Baseball on June 29, 2017:
How tall does Juan Marichal stand among fellow Dominicans? Tall enough for his legacy to have molded Pedro Martínez’s memory, if only because it was regarded as gospel during his youth. The 2015 Hall of Fame inductee remembers the respect given to Marichal when he was just a kid, and what it means to be mentioned in the same sentence today.
“I was too young to have ever seen Marichal pitch, but I heard so much, it was like he was higher than the human race,” Pedro said. “I mean, if you ask me who was the greatest Dominican pitcher of all time, I would say: Marichal. There is no question in my mind. Marichal.”
That’s high praise coming from a first-ballot inductee in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. But with good reason. Marichal, part of the first wave of Latino stars in the integration era, pitched most of his career for the San Francisco Giants and stood out for his high kick and command of multiple pitches.
Read the full article here: https://www.lavidabaseball.com/pedro-martinez-legacy-juan-marichal/
Originally published: June 29, 2017. Last Updated: June 29, 2017.