Pedro Martinez Tries to Invalidate Yankees' 2009 World Series Win by Claiming Phillies Had Swine Flu

For those of you who forgot, Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez ended his illustrious career in 2009 with the Philadelphia Phillies, the same team that lost to the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic that year.

They had a nice year, but they were clearly the underdogs against a New York Yankees squad that won 103 games.

However, according to Martinez, a big reason they lost was because a lot of players on the team had the swine flu and were badly sick, a fact the legendary righty only decided to reveal during Philly's alumni weekend in 2019.

“It wasn’t told, but most of us were sick. Some of the guys had swine flu and had to be kept away. I caught some of the virus. We would just never say it. When I got home, I realized that I was really sick,” Martinez said.

I don't doubt that some members on the Phillies, including Martinez, were badly sick. But does he really want to discount that Yankee team that was clearly better and won the series in six games? What was the point of unleashing this a decade after the fact?

If Cliff Lee, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth were sick with the swine flu, they had an odd way of showing it, as all of those guys dominated during the matchup.

Game 2 of the World Series ended up being Pedro Martinez's final game, and he lasted six innings and allowed three runs on six hits. It's not vintage Pedro, but there's no need to make an excuse and try to undermine New York's title.