Pedro Martínez Finds Peace in Gardening After Retirement

Miami, Florida — Former Major League Baseball pitcher Pedro Martínez, a member of the Hall of Fame, is enjoying a tranquil life after baseball through gardening. The 53-year-old ex-Boston Red Sox player has four children and loves to tend to vibrant gardens at his homes in Miami, Georgia, and the Dominican Republic.

Martínez expressed his passion for gardening in a recent interview with Tracy Swartz from The Post. “I have three babies,” he said, referring to his meticulously cared-for gardens. “I try to keep them neat and beautiful. It’s almost like having a little girl and wanting her to look great all the time.”

Since officially retiring from MLB in 2011, Martínez has transitioned to a role as a studio analyst for TNT Sports. He reminisced about the intense moments of his career and noted how gardening served as a calming ritual before games. “Believe it or not, during 18 years in the big leagues, that was my moment to relax before each game,” he recalled. “I had to go to my garden to clean the flowers and prune the roses.”

Martínez traces his passion for gardening back to his childhood in Manoguayabo, a suburb of Santo Domingo. He recalled how his mother used gardening to keep him out of trouble. “When I got mad, my mom would pull me aside and say, ‘Hey, take these scissors. Cut this plant. Cut that one,’” he shared. Gardening became a form of yoga for him, providing solace amid the pressures of baseball and his new job as a broadcaster.

Recently, he signed a multi-year contract extension with TNT Sports, where he shares his thoughts and experiences. Unlike his hard-hitting analysis as a player, he now advocates for understanding among players. “Sometimes we don’t really know the human being behind the uniform,” he advised.

Martínez, who played for the Mets from 2005 to 2008, used to have a beautiful garden filled with daffodils, petunias, dogwoods, and wild apple trees at his Tudor-style home in Greenwich, Connecticut. He once envisioned it as a vacation retreat during his retirement, but he left that paradise behind when he departed New York. “I couldn’t see myself coming back to New York for many reasons,” he admitted.