"I was going to drill Machado" - When Pedro Martinez reverted to baseball's unwritten rules after Manny Machado's high slide on Dustin Pedroia

Pedro Martinez is not only one of the best pitchers to ever play in the MLB, but he is also one of the most beloved. The Boston Red Sox has remained one of the most present figures in the MLB thanks to his work as a commentator and analyst. The Hall of Fame starting pitcher's second career could make him as famous as he was during his playing days.

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One of the reasons Pedro Martinez has established himself as one of the top media presences in the MLB is the fact that he speaks his mind and can be brutally honest at times.

One of these instances came back in 2017 when the former Boston Red Sox ace was asked about a sliding play in a game between his former club and the Baltimore Orioles. The incident in question came when Orioles superstar Manny Machado made a sliding play at second base, which ended up injuring Dustin Pedroia.

While it was most likely not Machado's intention to injure Pedroia, the fact that he completed a "high slide" broke one of the unwritten rules of the game. The next time that Machado and the Orioles squared off, reliever Matt Barnes threw a pitch near the head of the superstar, resulting in a four-game suspension.

"Matt Barnes throws at Manny Machado for spiking Pedroia on Friday" - @bostonsportsinf

Pedro Martinez said, "I was going to drill Machado," when asked whether or not he would pitch at Manny Machado.

Pedro clarified that he would have thrown the ball a bit lower than head-level but agreed that it was the right play by Barnes.

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Pedro Martinez is no stranger to controversial plays and bench-clearing brawls

The Hall of Fame pitcher has been at the forefront of a number of 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.

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.

"October 11, 2003: Game 3 ALCS. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Pedro sends Don Zimmer to the ground" - @TDISportsClips