MLB All-Star Game 2016: 5 most memorable All-Star Game performances

BOSTON, : American League starting pitcher Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox throws to the plate in the first inning of the 70th Baseball All-Star Game with the National League 13 July 1999 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.(ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Stephen JAFFE (Photo credit should read STEPHEN JAFFE/AFP/Getty Images) /

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BOSTON, MA – JULY 28: Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez gestures towards the grandstand before having his number retired during a ceremony at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on July 28, 2015. (Photo by Michael Ivins/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

3. Pedro Martinez mows down the NL

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Martinez was putting together arguably the greatest peak stretch by any starting pitcher in MLB history. The standout individual year of that era for Martinez was the 1999 season, which included an incredible All-Star performance.

As great as the pitching is in today’s game, no starter is likely to match Martinez’s 1999 numbers anytime soon. Martinez compiled a 2.07 ERA (1.39 FIP) with 313 strikeouts and 37 walks in 213.1 innings according to FanGraphs.

Those numbers are even more impressive considering the offensive environment in the Majors at the height of the Steroid Era. Everything was setting up perfectly for a special night at the 1999 Midsummer Classic, as Martinez got the start in front of a raucous home crowd at Fenway Park.

Martinez lived up to the hype and then some, striking out four straight batters to begin his outing. Matt Williams managed to put the ball in play and reached on an error, but another strikeout and caught stealing would give Martinez the final line of two innings with no hits, no walks, and five strikeouts, earning him the win and MVP accolades.

The NL’s lineup wasn’t exactly a pushover, as Martinez sent down Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Jeff Bagwell. The offense may have ruled the era, but Martinez’s impressive outing in 1999 will go down in history.

Next: 2. Ted Williams goes 4-4 in 1946

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