Pedro Martinez in Favor of Having Women in the MLB

Pedro Martinez Photo by Ruby Ruby Wallace-Ewing

Pedro Martinez joined Mayor Marty Walsh and a few other stars for the launch of a new girls baseball program on Wednesday night.

When they weren’t fielding questions about David Ortiz’s retirement, Walsh and Martinez took the time to praise Roxbury-based nonprofit the BASE for getting more youth, particularly young women, involved with the sport.

The Red Sox great took things a step further and threw his support behind giving female players a chance in the MLB.

“I just saw a picture of a team during the winter… ladies playing baseball. That’s good to see,” Martinez said while talking to the media. “I’m pushing them. I’m behind them. So they have a cheerleader right here. Let’s go girls!”

The former pitching ace admitted that there are few physical differences between men and women, but that doesn’t mean female athletes shouldn’t get a shot in the big leagues. Martinez added that he is “totally in favor of women excelling” in all areas of life, whether its on or off the field.

“I don’t want to be a macho man and say women don’t count,” Martinez said. “Yes, they count and we need you. We need you to excel and we need those girls out here to actually excel to make our lives easier, to help each other, and to make the future a little bit better.”

Fox Sports analyst and former UFC champion Dominick Cruz, who knows a thing or two about female athletes in male dominated sports, was also on hand at the event. While he believes there’s a big difference between his sport of fighting and the world of baseball, he doesn’t see any reason why women couldn’t succeed against men in the major leagues.

“There’s a huge women’s movement right now, so I think that whatever women put their minds to, they’ve proven that if they want to get it done, they’ll get it done,” Cruz said. “There’s no reason a woman can’t do it if she can reach the same numbers as a man. That’s all it comes down to, right?”

The former champ added, “If the numbers are there, what’s the argument?”

As support continues to swell for female athletes, maybe we will see a woman in the MLB someday.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Martinez said.