BOSTON -- Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic, and Cooperstown, New York, are separated by about 1,800 miles, the difference in their cultures just as vast. But two themes now connect them -- baseball and Pedro Martinez.
When Martinez began playing ball in Manoguayabo as a barefoot kid in the early 1970s, his path was a rocky and often tortuous one, and he never imagined where it might lead. This week, he got the answer: Cooperstown, where next summer he will become a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Martinez, along with pitchers Randy Johnson and John Smoltz and infielder Craig Biggio, was elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America as part of the Hall of Fame's Class of 2015. They will be recognized in a ceremony on July 26 in Cooperstown, a quaint village of about 1,900 in east-central New York. The party has already begun back in Manoguayabo.
"Emotions are high," Martinez told ESPNdeportes.com after the vote was announced. "The Dominican Republic burst into celebration for a triumph that doesn't just belong to me but to all Dominicans, Latinos and everyone who prayed for us. I feel an incredible peace."
Martínez is the second Dominican, after fellow pitcher Juan Marichal, and the seventh Latin American player to be voted into the Hall by the writers. Overall, 11 Latin American players -- including three from the Negro Leagues -- and three Latin broadcasters have plaques in the Hall of Fame, an 80-year-old organization that has only 310 members (215 major league players, 35 players from the Negro Leagues, 28 executives, 22 managers and 10 umpires).
"Juan Marichal will finally no longer be alone in Cooperstown," said Martinez, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who pitched for the Dodgers, Expos, Red Sox, Mets and Phillies during his 18-year career. "I hope more Dominicans and many more Latin Americans continue to be inducted, because we deserve it."
To appreciate how far Martinez has come, you need only look at where he came from. He's the product of humble and vulnerable origins in the Dominican Republic, a country of only 10 million people, where baseball is one of the few means a youngster has to escape from extreme poverty and to rise, along with the rest of his family, in a society that marginalizes those who have fewer resources.
Martinez was born and grew up in Manoguayabo, a small town that was built around a national police special operations camp on the west side of Santo Domingo, the country's capital. Although Manoguayabo is geographically close to the city that drives the Caribbean island, which also includes Haiti, in terms of development and facilities it was light years behind the capital when Pedro and his brothers Nelson, Ramon and Jesus were kids. Without proper facilities, they were forced to play baseball barefoot on grass fields without any markings or bases.
After learning of his election on Tuesday, Martinez reflected on those humble origins. "[I thought of] God first, then my mom and my dad," he said. "My dad [Pablo Jaime, who died in 2008 of cancer] is no longer with us, but he's surely happy up above. I also thought about my town, my people, those who have always been with me."
Pablo Jaime and his wife, Leopoldina Martinez, raised their six children to be good citizens as well as athletes. Pedro, whose childhood nickname was "Enyo," is now known around Manoguayabo as "El Alcalde" (The Mayor) because, after making it to the major leagues, he returned to his hometown to help pave the roads and built the community's church, school and a proper baseball field.
"Pedro has given me everything a mother can hope for in a son, particularly in the respectful way he bears the family name," said Leopoldina, speaking by phone from the Dominican Republic. "Material success is insignificant if a person doesn't carry him or herself properly, and my children, including Pedro, have never done anything to make me feel ashamed."
Ramon Martinez, who is 3½ years older, paved the way for his younger brother. A strong, 6-foot-4, right-hander, Ramon compiled a 135-88 record and a 3.67 ERA during his own 14-year major league career. "For the Martinez family, it's a very big honor. We're all happy for Pedro," said Ramon, who was an All-Star in 1990 and threw a no-hitter in 1995.
Pedro was smaller and thinner and had to overcome the perception that he was too slight (5-11 and 170 pounds) to be a starting pitcher at the highest level of the game. But for a kid from Manoguayabo accustomed to fighting against prejudice and humiliation, the doubts were simply more motivation. "In a way, their lack of confidence helped me grow, to give more of myself and to become what I became," said Pedro, who signed with the Dodgers in 1988, four years after Ramon. "Everyone else thought I didn't have what it takes, but I always thought I could."
Pedro made it to the big leagues just four years after signing his first professional contract, joining Ramon on the Dodgers. But doubts remained about his durability and stamina. Following his rookie season in 1993, Los Angeles traded Pedro to the Expos for middle infielder Delino Deshields for the same reasons that dogged him since when he was 15: Many people in the organization didn't think the younger Martinez could be a consistent starter for very long because he lacked the proper physique.
Martinez's self-confidence helped him overcome those perceptions at every level. "Pedro was never shy about expressing what he felt and facing new challenges. His attitude was what impressed me most when I first saw him," said Eleodoro Arias, the pitching coach at the Dodgers' academy in the Dominican Republic who helped both Martinez brothers develop. "He had a great arm, and a very inadequate physique for what was sought in pitchers at the time he was signed -- but an attitude that was better than most."
That attitude, and Martinez's ability to battle through injuries, were the keys to his sustained success over 18 seasons, as he racked up 219 wins and more than 3,000 strikeouts. "I never thought that I was building a Hall of Fame career," he said. "I just made the best of each game, enjoying it as if it were my last. I suffered, I risked my body many times, but I also enjoyed it. Pain -- and fun -- come with the job."
Martinez is particularly proud of the fact that he was able to excel during an era dominated by offense and clouded by the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs. "I kept my integrity. I didn't take shortcuts," he said. "Integrity was more important to me than criticism from the press about when I was sore sometimes and didn't recover as fast as other pitchers."
And now, with his career as one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history set to be capped off with the ultimate honor in Cooperstown, Martinez's journey from Manoguayabo to baseball immortality is almost complete. "As a Dominican, I'm proud of what I've achieved," he said. "I'll always be thankful to the United States for giving me the opportunity."