Tue Oct 14 03:20:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:

**Headline: From Mound to Garden: Baseball Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez Finds Peace Cultivating Plants and Memories**

**Dorchester Center, MA –** Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez, known for his dominance on the baseball diamond, is now tending a different kind of field: vibrant gardens at his homes in Miami, Georgia, and the Dominican Republic.

The former Boston Red Sox ace, who retired from Major League Baseball in 2011 and now works as a TNT Sports analyst, describes caring for his gardens as a form of relaxation and meditation. “I’m trying to keep them fixed and beautiful,” Martinez said of his gardens. “It’s like you have a little girl and you want her to look better all the time… It’s my time to relax and go to my own space.”

Martinez cultivates a variety of plants, including roses, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and spinach, and even raises chickens and geese. He says gardening provided a calming ritual during his 18-year MLB career, helping him unwind before games.

His passion for horticulture stems from his childhood in Manooguabo, Dominican Republic, where his mother used gardening to keep him out of trouble. “When I got mad, my mother took me aside and said, ‘Hey, take the scissors. Cut this plant right here. Cut it.'”

Martinez reflected on his time with the New York Mets (2005-2008), recalling his lush garden at his Greenwich home, filled with Daffodils, Petunias, Dogwoods and Krabapals. Though he once envisioned it as a winter retreat, he parted with it when he left New York. He says he now receives a warm welcome from New York fans, a stark contrast to the animosity he felt while playing against the Yankees.

Even while offering commentary on the game, Martinez doesn’t shy away from expressing his allegiances. When the Toronto Blue Jays, whose first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the godson of Martinez’s former teammate Vladimir Guerrero Sr., defeated the Yankees, he admitted, “Watching the Yankees lose… it brings me a lot of joy.”

But ultimately, Martinez finds his greatest pleasure in the serenity of his gardens: “I enjoy being outside, like nature, like a forest.”

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