Why Pedro Martinez calls Giants legend Barry Bonds ‘perfect' hitter

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When Barry Bonds faced Pedro Martinez it arguably was a battle that pitted the best hitter and best pitcher of the era against one another.

Martinez is a first-ballot Hall of Famer after receiving over 91 percent of the votes in 2015. He won three Cy Young awards, led the league in ERA five times and led the league in strikeouts three times in his 18-year MLB career. At times he seemed unhittable, yet Pedro knows facing Bonds was a whole different beast. 

"It was different," Martinez said in a Bleacher Report AMA when asked what it was like playing against Bonds. "Barry Bonds was perfect. You're hoping for a mistake if you were going to challenge Barry Bonds." 

Bonds stepped to the plate 43 times against Martinez during his 22-year career and did far better than many others have against Pedro. The former Giants legend and all-time home run king hit .333 (11-for-33) with three doubles, one homer and 10 walks, good for a 1.064 OPS. 

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"I did want to challenge him, keep him in the park, but I had to be almost perfect in order to achieve that and get some outs, get some strikeouts. He was different." 

Martinez did strikeout Bonds eight times in his career, but like so many other pitchers, Barry got the best of him.

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