“I asked for a trade 3 times to play with the Yankees" - Pedro Martinez admits he was desperate to play for Red Sox's biggest rivals

Hall of Fame starting pitcher Pedro Martinez is one of the most beloved and iconic players in Boston Red Sox history. The eight-time All-Star spent seven seasons with the Red Sox, earning two of his three Cy Young Awards with the historic club and establishing himself as one of the best pitchers ever to throw in the MLB.

Although Pedro Martinez is synonymous with the Boston Red Sox, he recently revealed in a recent interview that on more than one occasion he sought a trade to their biggest rivals, the New York Yankees.

"Entonces se acabó el mito de que Pedro Martínez no quería jugar para los #Yankees. Pedro say in interview with @matiasgarciard he want it to play for Yankees" - @mikedeportes

In the interview with Santiago Matias of Alofoke FM 99.3, Pedro may have shocked many baseball fans around the world, sharing his desire to play for the New York Yankees. “I asked for a trade three times to play with the New York Yankees," Pedro told Matias, which no one expected to hear from the Red Sox icon.

A trade for Pedro Martinez to the New York Yankees during the height of his career would have been unfair to the rest of the MLB. During the late '90s and early 2000s, the Yankees were one of the greatest teams winning the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

"Greatest team of all time..98 Yankees" - @JamesVivo31

It's difficult to fathom Pedro joining the New York Yankees of that era, who had already assembled several Hall of Famers, including Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter. Not to mention some of the best players of that era such as Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Tino Martinez.

Pedro Martinez has a well-documented history with the New York Yankees

The Hall of Fame pitcher has been at the forefront of several dust-ups in his career, thanks to him hitting the opposition with a pitch (intentional or not). One of the most infamous moments came when the Boston Red Sox squared off against the New York Yankees in the 2003 ALCS.

"Not a big fan of Pedro Martinez. Especially after he pulled Don Zimmer to the ground during the dust up with the Yankees." - @Wilyewilly

After Pedro Martinez almost hit batter Karim Garcia, New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens seemingly intentionally threw at slugger Manny Ramirez. Ramirez took exception to the pitch, storing the mound. This resulted in both dugouts clearing with Pedro throwing then Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground.