T. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Sooner or later, Pedro Martinez said yesterday afternoon, he expects a phone call from American League All-Star manager Joe Torre, informing him of what Torre already has told the world and said again yesterday: Martinez will start for the AL team in Tuesday's All-Star Game in Fenway Park.
Has that call already been made?
''No,'' Martinez said with a smile. ''He doesn't have my phone number.''
Speaking on a conference call with reporters, Torre made the selection official. ''Pedro Martinez will be my starter - even though I'm not officially allowed to tell you that,'' Torre said. ''If he's not, I better manage this game from New York.''
While it has been a foregone conclusion for weeks that the Red Sox ace would be the AL starter, Martinez said he was delighted that in his fourth All-Star appearance, second for the American League, he will be his team's first pitcher of choice.
''I want to experience everything in baseball,'' he said. ''I've got one Cy Young Award, I got to be the best-paid player once, I got to be top 10 as pitcher, I've reached 300 strikeouts, I've had an under-2 ERA, there are a lot of things I've achieved.
''But I'd like to take a little bite out of everything I can in baseball. You don't get too many opportunities for something like this, and I get to have my chance.''
Martinez is still annoyed that despite an 11-2 record at the break last season, he was skipped over for the start by manager Mike Hargrove, who chose David Wells instead. Martinez decided not to pitch at all.
''I think I should have been the starting pitcher last year,'' Martinez said. ''And if it wasn't me, it should have been Roger [Clemens]. [Hargrove] said he made his choice by who gave us the best opportunity to win. That's what it said in the papers.
''If his choice was to win, his choice was Roger or me. I had a better ERA, more strikeouts, more innings, and was an All-Star more times than David Wells.''
Wells, however, had pitched a perfect game that May. ''I had a perfect game, too, into the 10th inning,'' Martinez countered, citing his 1995 perfect-game bid in San Diego that ended when Bip Roberts led off the 10th with a double. ''He chose David Wells because he liked him better.
''I think Joe's doing the right thing. He's not choosing because of what names they have, he's choosing because they deserve it.''
Of course, Martinez's 15-3 record, league-leading 2.10 ERA, and 184 strikeouts made Torre's task simple.
''I'm glad I made it easy for him,'' Martinez said.
When it was suggested to him that Randy Johnson, who leads the majors with 200 strikeouts, was the National League's logical pick to oppose him, Martinez begged to differ. ''There's Kent Bottenfield and Jose Lima, too,'' he said. ''Whoever [NL manager Bruce] Bochy goes with, he's going to be right.''
Bochy did make one decision yesterday, replacing San Francisco closer Robb Nen with Cincinnati reliever Scott Williamson. Nen is nursing an injured elbow.
Things are looking up for Pedro Martinez, as he's been handed the starting pitching assignment for the American League. (Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)