Pena meets his hero once again

OAKLAND - Carlos Peña was a college junior playing baseball at
Boston's Northeastern University when his hero showed up out of
nowhere.

His hero introduced himself. Said he'd been following young Peña's
career. Said he heard young Peña might be a top pick in the upcoming
baseball draft. Said he wanted to come see one of young Peña's games.

Young Peña, now the A's starting first baseman, didn't believe a word
Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez was saying.

"I'm like, 'Yeah sure. Thanks anyway,' " Peña recalled Tuesday. "And
then he shows up."

A big deal? You bet. Martinez was taking an interest in a fellow
Dominican. Martinez was born in Manoguayabo in the Dominican
Republic. He came to America to play baseball. Peña was born in Santo
Domingo, and moved to Massachusetts with his family when he was a
teen-ager. Both found themselves in Boston in the spring of 1998.

That kind of behavior runs counter to the cold-blooded, head-hunting
reputation Martinez has in some baseball circles. This kind of
sensitive side would come as a surprise to any of the more than 2,000
batters Martinez has struck out in his career.

As for Peña, it was a crossing of paths beyond belief.

"If you are from the Dominican Republic, Pedro Martinez is in your
heart at all times," Peña said an hour before Tuesday's game against
the Red Sox -- and his hero. "Support, that's all he showed. He
said, 'Just keep doing your thing. Don't put too much pressure on
yourself.'"

That was a tall order the day Peña and his teammates took the field
and saw Martinez, a Cy Young Award winner, actually sitting in the
stands.

"We weren't nervous," Peña said. "We were excited. We couldn't help
looking over at him between pitches. We were all thrilled. I remember
that game. We won, and I hit a home run."

Peña smiled and shook his head.

"Sometimes things are meant to work out in such a way," he
said. "It's amazing how things work out. That's how sports is, full
of amazing stories. Now I'm going to go out there and try to beat
him."

That's a good plan, but tough to execute. Martinez came into the game
with a 4-0 record and a 3.67 ERA. Battling back from an injury-marred
2001 season, Martinez has re-established himself as one of baseball's
elite starting pitchers. He had 37 strikeouts in 341/3 innings, and
opposing hitters were batting a sickly .180 against him. He left
after throwing 41/3 innings against A's on Tuesday, allowing seven
hits and one earned run, striking out five.

Peña didn't want to know any of that ahead of time.

"I know he throws like this," Peña said, laughing while holding up
his right arm. "I know he throws right-handed. I don't need to know
he's going to be a Hall of Famer. Why would I want to psyche myself
out like that?

"I don't know his numbers, either. I'm not going to look at video.
I'm going to just see the ball. And hopefully hit the ball. In the
end it's just a game. I don't try to make it any more complicated
than that."

It has been a winning formula so far for Peña, who was named the
American League's rookie of the month for April. He has shown the
promise, if not the ultimate payoff, envisioned by the Texas Rangers
when they selected him in the first round of the draft shortly after
Martinez's visit.

His seven home runs ranked second on the A's, but his .237 average
and 16 RBI in 97 at-bats were more typical of someone hitting ninth
in the order. Which Peña has consistently this season.

His first at-bat against Martinez was no contest. Batting with
runners on second and third with one out in the second inning, Peña
swung through a 1-2 fastball from his conquering hero.

It was a harsh lesson. Then again, Peña has already been the
beneficiary of a far more profound lesson from Martinez.

"Speaking for myself, I look up to him," Peña said. "I would love to
emulate him -- the way he carries himself, the success he's had.

"He heard I was from the Dominican Republic. He knew my history.
Nobody asked him to come out and meet me. He did it on his own. It
shows what kind of heart he has."

Sometimes things are meant to work out in such a way.