Painting Of Pedro Martinez Unveiled At Smithsonian

El Orgullo y la Determinacion (Pride and Determination)

A 57-inch by 21-inch oil and beeswax painting of Pedro Martinez, completed in 2000 by Susan Miller-Havens (a close friend of the now 40-year-old pitcher), was unveiled on Friday at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

Miller-Havens portrayed Pedro in a white Red Sox uniform, wearing a blue cap with a dark red "B". She replaced the American League patch on his right sleeve with the flag of the Dominican Republic.

Pedro:

She was talking about my hands. What she said to me was that she focused on my hands. She was always analyzing my long fingers, and how I used them to do art ... This is something as important as Cooperstown. It's one of the largest museums in the world and the largest one in the United States. I hope it's only a warm-up for Cooperstown. It gives me great pride and joy.

Martinez, who said there is "very little chance" he will pitch in the major leagues again, will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Also attending the ceremony was Pedro's mother, Leopoldina Martinez; wife, Carolina Cruz; 11-year-old son, Pedro Jr.; brother Ramon; and Rafael Avila, the Dodgers scout who signed both Pedro and Ramon. Pedro's father, Paulino (Pablo) Jaime Martinez, passed away in July 2008.