Pedro Martinez threw out the first pitch of the Red Sox home opener in 2010. (AP)

In an interview with the New York Times, three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez said that he remains open to returning to baseball in order to join a team with World Series ambitions. The right-hander, who pitched for the Red Sox from 1998-2004, said that he could be ready to face major league hitters in a month to a month and a half if a team called him, and if approached by the Phillies (with whom he pitched in the 2009 World Series), Yankees and Red Sox, he would want to return to the team with whom he enjoyed his greatest success.

“I’d probably have to say the Red Sox,” Martinez said when asked for which of those three teams he would most like to pitch. “I would like to win a World Series in the National League, so the Phillies are in there, too. But for the time I’m going to be playing, I think Boston is more suitable so that I can retire with the Boston Red Sox and go to the Hall of Fame with the same hat.”

Martinez also said that he is picking the Phillies to beat the Red Sox in the World Series.

“I believe if the pitching staff stays healthy, I’d pick the Phillies to win the World Series and National League,” said Martinez. “In the American League, I’d probably have to go with the Red Sox. They’re loaded. They have pitching, they have everything, so I think they’re due.”

Martinez, 39, did not pitch in 2010, but he has never filed retirement papers with Major League Baseball. He went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA, 37 strikeouts and eight walks in 44 innings for the Phillies in 2009. In his seven years with the Red Sox, he was 117-37 with a 2.52 ERA while averaging 10.9 strikeouts and just 2.0 walks per nine innings.

It’s something the Red Sox have developed a great reputation for in the past decade – acquiring star players entering their prime. The former ownership did it with Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez. The current ownership added David Ortiz and Josh Beckett. And now, two years after losing out on Mark Teixeira, they’ve done it again.

Meet Adrian Gonzalez. He’s a three-time All-Star who hit .298 with 33 doubles, 31 homers and drove in 101 runs in one of the most dreadful parks for hitters in the majors. And he’s a Gold Glove first baseman.

And the best part… He’s just 28.

[Click here to hear Adrian Gonzalez looking forward to Boston in his prime.]

“I’m very excited about that,” said Gonzalez of playing in Boston entering what should be his best seasons. “It’s one of those things where you want to be in the best place and best situation possible when you’re in your prime and I believe this is the best place and best situation.

“I’m very excited to be a part of this town, the city, the fans, the energy the fans bring, just experiencing the city, the ball park, the teammates, everything about the experience is going to be very exciting. I had a great time with the fans and with the organization in San Diego and have nothing but the best to say about them. This is going to be definitely a new experience but I’m very excited about it because there’s going to be a lot more energy at the ball park.”

But it’s not just the atmosphere he’s looking forward to. It’s the marriage of the resources in Boston, like hitting coach Dave Magadan, manager Terry Francona and his understanding of how to become a force in the Red Sox order for years to come.

“The fact that I’m at the position now that I understand my swing, I understand pitchers’ tendencies, I understand how to watch video and analyze video and all those things are going to help, not just with the overall experience but the intense competition and being in playoff-type games all year long,” Gonzalez said.

Pedro Martinez said he recently received offers from several teams that were “very tempting,” but the former Red Sox ace has decided to remain retired. Speaking at a promotional event for Gillette in New York, Martinez told The Associated Press he was “really happy” to receive the offers the past two weeks from teams he did not identify. He said he will spend the rest of the year with his kids and go on vacations.

Martinez signed with the Phillies last July and went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts, helping Philadelphia reach the World Series. He threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park for the Red Sox’ home opener this season.

Former Red Sox G.M. Dan Duquette — the man who brought Pedro Martinez to Boston following the 1997 season — will drop by the Virtual Press Box on Thursday, Nov. 5, at noon to take questions in the fourth installment of WEEI.com’s Thursday baseball chat series.

Duquette was the G.M. of the Red Sox for eight seasons, from 1994-2001, following two years in the same role with the Montreal Expos. He traded for Martinez both when he was with the Expos (in exchange for Delino DeShields) and again as the G.M. of the Sox (for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr.). Other notable deals that he made in Boston included trading reliever Heathcliff Slocumb for Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe, and signing Tim Wakefield. The Sox made the playoffs three times under Duquette’s stewardship, once as the A.L. East winners, and twice more as the wild card team. During his Boston tenure, the Sox went 656-574 while setting numerous attendance records.

Duquette is now the President of the Dan Duquette Sports Academy, a sports training center for boys and girls ages 8-18 who are interested in learning baseball, softball, basketball and life skills from distinguished high school, college and professional coaches. This summer, the Academy will host its first-ever All-Girls session, led by Justine Siegal who is the first women to coach a men’s professional baseball team.

PREVIOUS CHATS

Oct. 29 — Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay

Oct. 22 — Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan

Oct. 15 — Red Sox director of amateur scouting Jason McLeod

Pedro Martinez after throwing six no-hit innings of relief in an elimination game in 1999. AP.

Will Pedro show up for Game 6 in Yankee Stadium? Literally — will he show up?

The question is ridiculous, of course. Pedro Martinez will take the mound with the eyes of the baseball world upon him on Wednesday night, in a game that will decide whether the Yankees win the World Series tonight or whether there might be a winner-take-all Game 7.

That said, while the question now seems absurd, it is worth remembering that it was once a genuine issue whether Martinez would, in fact, show up at the ballpark when his team faced elimination in a Game 6 in Yankee Stadium. After the pitcher navigated a tightrope for six innings while allowing four runs in Game 5 of the ALCS (more on that in a bit), Martinez declared that he would not accompany the Sox to New York for Game 6 against the Yankees. Instead, he stayed in Boston, feeling that doing so somehow helped him should he be needed in relief for a potential Game 7.

The line of thinking made little sense. What could Martinez do in Boston that he could not do to prepare in New York?

Some in the Red Sox organization were disgusted by the pitcher’s decision, feeling it was completely selfish, a borderline act of betrayal, for him to be apart from his team on a night when they faced elimination.

Though it was a story at the time, it became an afterthought in the rest of the Sox’ remarkable run to the 2004 title. And the incident is rightly relegated to the status of a footnote — if that — when considering the arc of Martinez’ incredible career, both in Boston and in the majors.

On Wednesday night, Martinez will show up in Yankee Stadium, and for the fifth time in his career, the game will be on his shoulders in a postseason elimination game, this one representing the most significant of his three career World Series starts.

In his prior four significant elimination games (not including his mop-up role in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS), he has a 2-1 record and 4.10 ERA. The Sox have a 3-1 record in those contests. But numbers do not tell the story.

If history is a guide, the combination of Pedro and a win-or-go-home scenario will lend itself to an unforgettable game. Here are the previous four times that those two elements have been combined:

Oct. 11, 1999: ALDS Game 5, at Indians

Martinez, sidelined for most of the American League Division Series by a back injury, enters as a reliever in the fourth inning of the winner-take-all Game 5 against the Indians. He fires six no-hit innings of relief, as the Sox take a 12-8 win and complete the first-ever comeback from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five ALDS.

Oct. 6, 2003: ALDS Game 5, at A’s

Once again, Martinez is the man on the mound for the Sox as they try to complete a comeback from a 2-0 hole in the ALDS. This time, the opponent is Oakland. Martinez carries a 4-2 lead into the eighth inning but allows a pair of hits for a run to start the eighth. With the Sox clinging to a 4-3 lead, the Boston bullpen comes up huge, punctuated by Derek Lowe’s infamous crotch chop after punching out Terrence Long with the bases loaded.

Oct. 16, 2003: ALCS Game 7, at Yankees

This one was rehashed once or twice in New England after the fact. Martinez was dominant through much of the game but started to fade in the middle innings. After he gave up a run in the seventh inning, it appeared that the Sox ace considered his work done. But he was sent back to the mound for the eighth inning, and the Yankees — who entered the inning trailing 5-2 — jumped on a gasping-for-air Martinez for three runs as his pitch count drifted up to 123.

Martinez left with a no-decision, and the game marched on. Aaron Boone’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the 11th inning served as the dagger in the Sox’ season.

Oct. 18, 2004: ALCS Game 5, vs. Yankees

By this point, the Yankees were beyond intimidation with Martinez. After the right-hander allowed a bases-clearing, three-run double to Derek Jeter in the top of the sixth inning, it appeared that the impending free agent would absorb the loss in his final game as a Red Sox, a contest he left with his team trailing, 4-2.

But the Sox came back against New York’s bullpen, setting the stage for an agonizingly exciting, 14-inning contest in which the Sox claimed a 5-4 win on David Ortiz’ walkoff single after 5 hours, 49 minutes of play. By that point, Martinez had been rendered an afterthought, but the game will not be forgotten in baseball lore anytime soon.

FoxSports’ Ken Rosenthal made a guest appearance on the D&H Show on Thursday afternoon to talk about Game 1 of the World Series, a 6-1 Phillies win over the Yankees, and his prediction for how Pedro Martinez will fare in tonight’s Game 2 match-up.

Click here to listen to the full audio and read below for some highlights.

That was quite a performance by Cliff Lee last night, wasn’t it?

That was one of the great performances that I’ve ever seen in person and how he carved up the Yankees, how they had no chance, how he came to be — as [Fox broadcasters] Tim McCarver and Joe Buck said — performing as if he was getting his work in for Spring Training. The whole package was just frankly unreal.

How did you see the series playing out before Game 1? What your take? What was your prediction?

I picked the Yankees in 6. And, obviously, now you look at it and if they lose tonight they are in trouble. I have a hard time believing that Pedro is going to hold them down the way that Lee held them down. And I will say this, that the difference tonight is Charlie Manuel can go to the bullpen whenever he wants to. If Pedro is stinking it up — and I’m not saying he will — but if that scenario takes place, you got J. A. Happ, you got Joe Blanton, you have a group of relievers who haven’t pitched in eight days. So, they can practically turn this into a bullpen game and I will not be surprised if they do if they need to.

I don’t agree with Manuel pitching Pedro in Game 2…having said that, the drama for tonight is off the charts.

Well, I don’t think Manuel is thinking about that but I’m with you. I can’t recall the last time exactly when I was this excited to go to the ballpark. And it’s not just because of Pedro, although he is a huge part of that, it is because the Yankees lost Game 1 and they’re in a situation tonight where they definitely need to win and the Phillies are not like the Angels, they’re not like the Twins, they’re not like any other team really. They can stand up to the Yankees and it’s going to be really great theater tonight and very interesting to watch.

What’s your take on [Pedro] saying he’s the most influential player to perform in Yankee Stadium?

I think what he meant, and I don’t want to put any words in his mouth, is that he influenced the most emotion. Certainly he has influenced quite a bit of emotion. I don’t know that even Pedro would say he is a more influential person than Babe Ruth or any of the other Yankee greats. But, that press conference yesterday was absolutely fascinating. I know people in Boston are well aware of this; Pedro is not just one if the greatest pitchers in history, but one of the most intelligent players I’ve come across, one of the most well-spoken, and that thing yesterday was just a tour de force. And he had some points he wanted to make, and he got them out there about the New York media, about the confrontation with [Don] Zimmer. There are very, very, very few players I can count on one hand who can have that kind of press conference and speak so eloquently on a number of issues whether you agree with him or not.

Where would you put him [on the all-time great pitchers]?

He’s right there at the top. And we’re talking right now about Pedro in his prime in this discussion that we are having. In that aspect, yeah, I don’t know anybody better. Certainly [Roger] Clemens had his moments, Randy Johnson had his moments, there are a whole host of pitchers, [John] Smoltz. You can go right down the line. Roy Halladay for that matter. In terms of electricity, sheer stuff, and the ability to win, he dominated.  Pedro was the guy. I remember one year, I can’t recall which season it was exactly, it might have been 1999, but it was an MVP-type year. I remember writing a column, “Hey, he should be the MVP,” because not only does he impact the one game he pitches, but he impacts the other four because he saves the bullpen and he has this mystique about him. He was and to some degree he still is a transcendent figure. People have their opinions about him and that’s fine. He’s certainly angered people over the years, but he was absolutely brilliant in his prime. There aren’t many pitchers who I would get as excited about seeing.

I have more questions about the other starting pitcher tonight. A.J. Burnett has more to prove than Pedro does.

That’s fair and even if the atmosphere will be charged tonight, and it will be charged, he is going to be that much more tested because he is an emotional guy, he does get pumped up and carried away at times and he really actually has pitched very well in the postseason. You could even make the case in the last start he should have been out of the game before he was. Yeah, I see what you are saying, but my question is how is Pedro’s stuff going to match-up against the Yankees? Not only an American League line-up, but the DH, the highest scoring team in the majors, a team that generally abuses guys with that kind of stuff.  He has to know how, if his breaking ball is good, that will be an advantage. The other thing that we don’t know is how tight are the Yankees going to be? If they are tight and if they are stretching a little bit at the plate, then it plays right into Pedro’s hands.

Are the Phillies built like an American League team?

They’re not quite that, but they’re pretty darn good. [Pedro] Feliz and [Carlos] Ruiz are not great offensive players at their position. Ruiz, the catcher, has certainly had a good postseason, done a lot of really good things, a lot of big hits. When [Jimmy] Rollins and [Shane] Victorino are going, and they haven’t always been going this season — especially Rollins, they’re very dynamic. One of the huge differences already in this series is Rollins and Victorino vs. [Chone] Figgins and whoever batted second for the Angels in that series, mostly [Bobby] Abreu. That was a huge thing that the Yankees shut down the Angels’ 1-2 guys and they didn’t do that last night.

Is Charlie Manuel an old school guy?

That is totally accurate. What is inaccurate is the perception of him because of the way he speaks, because he is from North Carolina not West Virginia, is that he is dumb. Anyone who knows him or been around him for any length of time knows he isn’t dumb. He might not speak as polished as some people and whatever, but it bothers me when he went to Philadelphia for the first time [after] they hired him and the people of Philadelphia were all over [him] because of his accent. As if that city or any city for that matter was full of Nobel Prize winners walking the streets. Hey, he is a regular guy who has overcome a lot physically, being in Japan, all kinds of things happened to this guy and the proof is on that field every day. Look at that team, look how they played for him. And, yeah, they’re talented, no question about it, but there are other talented teams that don’t play as well as the Phillies do.

What are the offensive problems going on right now with guys like Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher? What’s going on with them?

I’m not sure with Teixeira. Swisher in the previous series was rushing a bit and just not himself. Teixeira actually in the final two games had kind of come around a little bit. Remember, he had the big bases-clearing triple and a couple of hits in the Game 6 as well. I’m not convinced his problems last night was totally Cliff Lee. Last night, Cliff Lee held Teixeira and A-Rod 0-for-8 with 5 K’s. That’s impressive and I want to see more tonight before I make any judgments.

Any predictions tonight for Pedro?

I think more like 4 1/3 innings, 9 hits, 5 runs. I love Pedro and I was warned last night by a member of the Phillies offense not to bet against this guy and we all know why. He’s brilliant out there and has got the heart of a lion, but I just think the Yankees are going to get him.

Were you buying [Manuel's] explanation for pitching Pedro tonight in Yankee Stadium.

Very simple. Pedro is pitching better than Cole Hamels, so you want Pedro on the mound instead of Cole Hamels. Also, and it hasn’t been talked about that much, Cole Hamels has been very inconsistent all season, you know that. He has been better at home: 3.75 at home ERA, 4.99 on the road. That means something to me and the idea of splitting the left-handers, there is some merit in that because you don’t give the switch-hitters a chance to get comfortable. They’re going left, right, left obviously pacing left, right, left. At the same time, if Pedro goes  2 2/3 tonight, we are going to see J. Happ and it’s going to switch all the switch-hitters around anyway. So, I understood it, it’s a bit of a questionable move , but Cole Hamels has really been an iffy guy all season long, especially in the postseason.

Who wins the managing match-up in you eyes, Manuel or Girardi?

I don’t know. They’re both guys that will leave themselves open for a lot of second guessing and this series will probably end up a second-guesser’s delight. They’re opposites. Charlie goes by his instincts, Joe Girardi goes by information from scouts, from numbers, and yet they still do things that make people scratch their heads and that’s the beauty of baseball.

What did you think of Girardi’s moves out of the bullpen last night?

Well, he has a problem. His problem is that he has so many young relievers that he can’t really put much trust in any of them. None of them are performing that well. So, I didn’t mind [Phil] Hughes starting off the inning. In fact, I said in the broadcast that Hughes is more comfortable in the wind-up or at least didn’t rush that much. I thought maybe that would help him, but obviously that didn’t make a difference. The [Damaso] Marte move was the right move, I didn’t mind David Robertson coming in. You could have had [Phil] Coke pitch to [Raul] Ibanez. It was one of those games where they weren’t beating Cliff Lee no matter what and the disturbing thing is that his relievers are simply not performing.