Mets will be without Martinez for playoff run
Pedro Martinez is out for the postseason after an exam Thursday showed the New York Mets ace has a torn tendon in his left calf muscle.
The Mets, who won their first N.L. East title since 1988, won’t have the three-time Cy Young Award winner at all in the playoffs.
Martinez returned to New York after getting knocked around badly in his final start of the regular season Wednesday night, a 13-1 loss to Atlanta. An MRI showed a tear in the left calf – different from the right calf injury that recently put him on the disabled list for a month and was thought to be his major concern.
“He did mention (Wednesday) that he felt some pain in the other leg,” general manager Omar Minaya said. “The bottom line is he’s not going to be available.”
Martinez will need four-to-six weeks to recover but surgery will not be required.
Bonds planning to play next year
Barring a major league-sized outbreak of sanity, Barry Bonds will be back in 2007.
“My intentions are to see to it he’s in a big-league uniform next season,” his agent, Jeff Booris, told the Los Angeles Times, carefully choosing his words.
Bonds’ 26 homers this season are the most ever by a 42-year-old player. Even allowing for another slow start, advancing age, and the fact that Bonds plays less than most of the regulars, he’s on track to collect the 22 homers he needs to pass Hank Aaron’s 755 next season.
Clearing the bases
The Seattle Mariners have signed a two-year agreement with the West Tenn. Diamond Jaxx, making the Southern League team a new Double-A affiliate. … Gil Hodges, Ron Santo, Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat are among the 27 players on next year’s Veterans Committee ballot for the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. … Law officers and museum officials in Springfield, Mo., are looking for a bronze bust of former Kansas City Royals third baseman George Brett that was taken from the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. … A surgically removed growth behind Royals manager Buddy Bell‘s left tonsil was cancerous, his doctor said from Minneapolis. The biopsy revealed that tissue surrounding the growth, however, was free of cancer cells. … The Milwaukee Brewers announced that batting coach Butch Wynegar and first-base coach Dave Nelson will not be offered contracts for next year. … Frank Robinson teared up when he spoke in front of media after a closed-door meeting with Washington Nationals management, but stopped short of revealing whether or not a decision about managing the team next year had been made. … Florida first baseman Mike Jacobs has left the team for personal reasons and will not return for the season’s final weekend, the team announced.