Pedro nearly etches name in perfecto history

Twenty-five years ago, Pedro Martinez almost made history.

On June 3, 1995, the 23-year-old took the mound at Jack Murphy Stadium vying for a perfect game. He retired the first 27 Padres batters, striking out nine with efficiency.

The Expos had struggled offensively, too, and the game was scoreless after nine innings. They gave Martinez a 1-0 advantage in the top of the 10th when Jeff Treadway drove in Shane Andrews.

Martinez took a lead, momentum and a low pitch count into the bottom of the 10th. But Bip Roberts sent Martinez’s 96th pitch of the game into right field for a double that ended Martinez's pursuit of a perfect game. Mel Rojas then came in to pitch for Martinez and completed the combined shutout.

“It feels really good, but it still hasn’t sunken in yet,” Martinez said after the game, according to the Los Angeles Times. “With the way the game went, I’m just happy that we won the game.”

Martinez’s near-perfect game was one of the many highlights in his four years with the Expos. He earned the first of eight All-Star selections the following season, and the first of three Cy Young Awards the year after that. Martinez was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.