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Santo Domingo.- President Leonel Fernandez sent a letter to Dominican future hall of fame pitcher Pedro Martinez Friday, congratulating him by the distinction he’ll receive in the United States.

The 3 time Cy Young award winner will receive an honor reserved for presidents and great figures that have molded United States history: a picture in the Smithsonian Museum.

The portrait created by American painter Susan Miller-Havens in 2000, went on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery yesterday.

“It’s a pride for the Dominican nation and government, and for baseball fans, whose career will be preserved for the posterity of present and future generations for his  masterful performance in the sport, but mostly for the actions he conducts in benefit of the children and youngsters to orient them toward becoming exemplary beings,” Fernandez says in the letter to the ex hurler called Pedro the Great.

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COMMENTS
6 comment(s)
Written by: DONT_BE_SILENT, 25 Mar 2011 2:38 PM
From: Dominican Republic, NEVER FORGOTTEN, NEVER FORSAKEN!
This guy was fun to watch. I miss this great pitcher.
Written by: Atabey, 25 Mar 2011 2:50 PM
From: United States, NYC
Truly a wunderkind at his trade. Had he not gotten hurt during his tenure with Boston, he would be the All Time winning Latin pitcher and perhaps could have amassed 300 victories. Still, his 200 plus victories gave us all a great deal of appreciation. Pedro El Grande.
Written by: ElChico, 25 Mar 2011 3:01 PM
From: United States
Congrats to Pedro. Although I'm a Yankee fan and I always sort of resented how a lot of Dominicans jumped on the Bosox bandwagon during the Pedro, Manny, and Ortiz days he's an all time great and a Dominican legend. Him and Marichal are the best players DR has produced.
Written by: DRmaker, 26 Mar 2011 12:57 PM
From: Canada
I remember the year he won his first Cy Young award with the Montreal Expos.

Then in the following off-season the Expos traded him the Red Sox because they could not afford to keep him.

He started his career in the L.A. Dodgers organization. I have his rookie baseball card in which he is wearing a Dodgers uniform.
Written by: Atabey, 27 Mar 2011 11:00 AM
From: United States, NYC
Tommy Lasorda didn't think Pedro would be able to stand up to the rigors of starting pitcher. Wow! was Tommy wrong. The Dodgers traded Pedro to the Expos in the 1993 baseball season, in exchange for second baseman Delino DeShields!! One of the All time steals by the Expos.
Written by: lovingit, 27 Mar 2011 12:24 PM
From: United States, Delaware
@DRMaker & Atabey

Pedro Martinez did start his career with the Dogers and was later traded to the Expos

He was NOT traded to Boston, he signed as a free agent, but yes, no way Montreal could have afforded him.

He DID NOT get hurt with Boston. He got hurt with the Mets.

I am a Pedro Martinez fan, but I think the worse decision he eve made was to go to the Mets just because they offered a year longer on the contract.

Every since then, the Mets have been cursed with injuries and players not producing to the potentials they reached with their prior teams.

The list includes, Carlos Delagado, Pedro Martinez, Luis Castillo, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana.., etc
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