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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Pedro Martinez can't be intimidated by taunts, boos or death threats. And as far as the Cleveland Indians are
concerned, Martinez can't be beaten.
Martinez did it to Cleveland once again Thursday night, allowing
four hits in seven innings to remain undefeated in his career
against the Indians in leading the Boston Red Sox to a 7-4 win.
|  | | Carl Everett celebrates his two-run homer off Justin Speier in the sixth inning. |
"He's the MVP of this team," Dante Bichette said. "He's so
valuable I don't think it can even be measured. He's the most
dominating pitcher that I've ever seen."
Martinez (17-5) improved to 7-0 in seven regular-season starts
against the Indians. He's also 2-0 against Cleveland in the
postseason, and has been branded Public Enemy No. 1 around Jacobs
Field.
There was beefed-up security for the series finale after
Martinez revealed on Wednesday that his life had been threatened
while warming up for Game 5 of the playoffs last season.
Martinez said he got the same treatment as he got ready for this
start.
"They called me trash," he said. "They said I stunk. So I
guess it was just another day at the office."
That it was.
Martinez was making his first appearance at Jacobs Field since
April 30, when he hit Roberto Alomar with a pitch, earning a
five-game suspension. He buzzed a couple of hitters, but baseball's
best pitcher zeroed in on the strike zone when he needed to.
Martinez struck out 10, including the side in the third and
seventh, when the Indians put two on with none out.
"A guy like Pedro doesn't bend under the pressure," Bichette
said. "He just puts a 97-mph fastball on the outside corner.
That's why he's Pedro."
Even the Indians were in awe.
"That was the same Pedro, hitting spots, beautiful," shortstop
Omar Vizquel said. "Seeing that guy on the mound is like watching
Manny (Ramirez) hitting. Unbelievable."
Carl Everett went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and Bichette
homered off Charles Nagy (2-5) as the Red Sox moved within two
games of the Indians, who lead the AL wild card race.
Before coming to Cleveland, Boston lost three of four games to
the New York Yankees, putting its season on the brink. But just
like last year's Red Sox, this group is showing it can come back,
too.
"It says that we are warriors and we don't give up," Martinez
said. "We've battled back the whole season. We're known to do
that."
David Segui hit a two-run homer and an RBI single for the
Indians, who play five games at Fenway Park next week, including
back-to-back doubleheaders.
Derek Lowe got four outs for his 34th save, his second of the
series.
Everett's two-run homer capped Boston's four-run sixth, with the
Red Sox scoring all their runs with two outs. The Indians had a
chance to get out of the inning, but first baseman Jim Thome
couldn't come up with Trot Nixon's hard smash.
The Red Sox scored their other runs in the inning on a wild
pitch by reliever Justin Speier and Nomar Garciaparra's RBI double.
Segui's homer in the fifth gave the Indians their first earned
runs in 32 1/3 innings against Martinez, who had not allowed
Cleveland to score since Sept. 15 last season, a span that includes
the playoffs.
"He's just so tough. I've never had an easy at-bat against
him," Segui said. "You go up there thinking to just make contact,
but he throws so hard. It's easy to say what to do and real hard to
do it."
Martinez retired the first 13 hitters so easily, it looked like
he might be on his way to finally pitching the no-hitter that has
somehow eluded him.
Thome became Cleveland's first runner, drawing Martinez's lone
walk before Segui hit his sixth homer since coming to the Indians
in a July trade.
Segui had been 3-for-24 with 11 strikeouts against Martinez
before connecting.
Before the game, Indians manager Charlie Manuel said his
scouting reports showed that Martinez hadn't been topping 92 mph on
the radar gun recently.
"He may not be able to blow the ball by us like he used to,"
Manuel said.
But Martinez's fastball hit 98 mph several times in the third,
when he needed 16 pitches to fan Travis Fryman, Russell Branyan and
Sandy Alomar.
Bichette put the Red Sox ahead 3-0 in the fourth with his fourth
homer since coming to Boston in an Aug. 31 trade from Cincinnati.
Nagy, making his first start since undergoing elbow surgery in
May, fell behind 1-0 in the first when Everett reached on an
infield single and Garciaparra followed with a double.
Everett's wind-blown RBI double made it 2-0 in the third.
Game notes
Everett's steal of second in the fifth was just Boston's
39th steal this season. Only Oakland, which has 35, has fewer in
the majors. ... Indians manager Charlie Manuel was ejected in the
seventh inning by third-base umpire Eric Cooper, who called Jim
Thome out on a checked-swing. ... The Indians added security
personnel around the Boston dugout and bullpen in response to
Martinez saying he received a death threat while warming up in last
year's playoffs. ... Martinez has 15 double-digit strikeout games
this season. He had 19 last year.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
Cleveland Clubhouse
Stark: Pedro is Boston's 'security blanket'
RECAPS
Boston 7
Cleveland 4
Toronto 3
NY Yankees 2
Texas 8
Kansas City 1
Atlanta 5
Florida 3
Milwaukee 6
Cincinnati 4
NY Mets 10
Montreal 4
Houston 8
Pittsburgh 7
St. Louis 4
Chicago Cubs 0
Colorado 5
Los Angeles 4
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Pedro Martinez knows his teammates don't take his pitching for granted.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dante Bichette gives ESPN's Todd Walker his take on Thursday's win over Cleveland.
wav: 547 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Pedro Martinez gives credit to his team for giving him run support and playing strong defense.
wav: 100 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
After winning 2 of 3 games, Derek Lowe hopes the Sox can keep the intensity level up against Detroit.
wav: 94 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Cleveland's Justin Speier saw first hand how good hitters will capitalize on mistakes.
wav: 61 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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