Pedro Martinez said goodbye to the fans at Shea Stadium, just in case Thursday night marked his final appearance in a Mets uniform.
Martinez arrived four years ago with Carlos Beltran as free agents during Omar Minaya's first winter as general manager. Now, Martinez is a month from turning 37 years old, and his four-year, $53 million contract is expiring. While it's not a foregone conclusion the Mets and Martinez will part this winter, even Martinez sensed there was a distinct possibility. So when interim manager Jerry Manuel pulled Martinez from a 3-3 tie after the first two Cubs batters reached in the seventh inning Thursday, Martinez pointed to the crowd that had risen to salute him in the first base stands. Martinez's index finger then pointed to the fans behind the plate, then to those up the third base line.
The Shea crowd had given Martinez a standing ovation as he headed to the dugout.
"I couldn't pass by without saying thanks to the fans," Martinez said.
Martinez appears likely to finish under .500 in a major league season for the first time in his career, and with his highest ERA as a big-leaguer. After Thursday's no-decision, he's 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA.
METS 7, CUBS 6: Carlos Beltran's RBI single in the ninth off reliever Kevin Hart capped a rally from a three-run deficit. The Mets remained tied with the Brewers atop the wild-card standings and pulled within a game of idle Philadelphia for first place in the NL East with three games remaining.
