Tonight Is the Matchup Ramon and Pedro Martinez Dreaded Would Happen : Oh, Brother

Montreal Expo pitcher Pedro Martinez shifted his feet uncomfortably and stared away in the distance Wednesday. He fumbled for the right words, wondering exactly what everyone’s fascination is about tonight’s game.

It is the first time in eight years that two brothers will be pitching against each other, and the first time in their professional careers that Pedro, 24, and 28-year-old brother Ramon Martinez of the Dodgers will pitch against one another, but it makes no difference.

Pedro Martinez wants no part of this.

Ramon Martinez wants no part of this.

“You have to know what we lived through to understand why we feel like this,” Pedro said. “It’s a blood thing. We’re too close. My brother now has the risk of losing the game.

“And I don’t want him to lose. I want him to be a winner.”

Said Ramon: “If I had my decision to decide whether he and I would face one another, I would not do it. But we’ve got to do it. I explained that to Pedro. It’s something that he has to learn.”

Pedro, traded by the Dodgers to the Expos in November 1993, can’t even keep himself from rooting for Ramon when Ramon is pitching against the Expos. He sits on the end of the bench, clasping his hands, praying for Ramon. When Pedro’s teammates got on him, he moved to the clubhouse and cheered for Ramon on TV.

“Believe me, if I had to give up my career for Ramon to go on, I would do that,” Pedro said. “To be honest, that’s how much he means to me. You have to understand what Ramon has done, not only for me, but for my family. He’s been like my father sometimes.”

Said Expo outfielder Henry Rodriguez, a former Dodger, “This is so hard for Pedro. You see, Pedro’s idol is Ramon. He always looks up to Ramon. Pedro doesn’t like anybody to even say anything [negative] about his brother, he gets so teed off.”

Yet, despite the close relationship between Ramon and Pedro Martinez, the Maddux and Leiter families say they might be making a mistake if they don’t enjoy themselves.

Atlanta Brave starter Greg Maddux, who has won four Cy Young awards and a World Series, considers his two games against older brother Mike among the greatest moments of his illustrious career.

Florida Marlin starter Al Leiter and his brother, Mark, of the Expos, are trying to adjust the pitching rotation in the next two weeks so that they can face one another for the first time.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Greg Maddux, who pitched July 31, 1988, against Mike, the last time brothers pitched against each other. “It’s something we enjoyed even more as the years went on. It’s tough to root for your brother 100 games in a row, and then not do that, but those are games I’ll never forget.

“If I had to pick out five or six games in my career that stand out, those games against my brother would be right there.”

The unique time, the Maddux brothers said, will be when Ramon and Pedro bat against one another.

“It’s the only time a pitcher can show up a hitter,” said Mike Maddux, now with the Boston Red Sox. “And people want to see you do it. My advice to Ramon and Pedro would be to retire eight in a row so you can face the one hitter you want to face and make a show out of it.”

And although the Martinez brothers are concerned about their parents’ emotions, Dave Maddux, father of Mike and Greg, believes the parents will savor the moment.

“It was a fairy tale to me,” the elder Maddux said. “It was pretty awesome to watch both of your sons pitch. I know I enjoyed it.

“I remember before my sons pitched for the first time, I told them to wear new caps. I told them, ‘Because when you’re done, I want to keep those caps.’ ”

“I’ve got them now on my wall of fame in my house. I’ve got photos, the newspaper articles, the box scores, everything.”

At least the Martinez brothers were able to make a friendly wager. The loser of tonight’s game buys a case of beer to be consumed when they get together during the off-season in the Dominican Republic.

“Maybe then I can smile,” Pedro Martinez said.