"It was early in the summer and Pedro Martinez was home in the Dominican Republic.

For the first time since he was a kid, it was baseball season, and Martinez was not surrounded by a group of teammates or being cheered/jeered by a stadium full of fans.

It was a little lonely, but Martinez wasn't coming back to the majors unless the situation (i.e., money) was right and there was an opportunity to win.

He got both when he signed with the Phillies in July: a prorated $2 million deal and a team that was defending its championship.

Martinez helped the Phillies get to the postseason, but last night, his 38-year-old right arm managed only four innings as the Phillies' season came to a crashing end in the sixth game of the World Series."