Posted at 2:18 p.m., Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Mets' Martinez tosses ball for first time since surgery
Advertiser Staff
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Pedro Martinez threw a baseball today for the first time since rotator cuff surgery last October.The New York Mets ace lightly tossed a ball for about 10 minutes from a distance of about 45 feet at the Mets' minor league complex.
"He looked good," said Randy Niemann, the Mets' rehabilitation pitching coordinator. "It's just the beginning. It's the start of a long process, but he looked really good."
Mets' manager Willie Randolph and pitching coach Rick Peterson were not present — they accompanied the team to Fort Myers for today's game against the Boston Red Sox.
The 35-year-old Martinez went 9-8 last season with a 4.48 ERA. He had been doing the majority of his rehabilitation in the Dominican Republic during the past five months, making an occasional appearance at the Mets' minor league complex in Port St. Lucie.
Martinez is not expected to rejoin the Mets' rotation until the second half of the season.
