On the mound for the Red Sox was starter and ace pitcher, Pedro Martinez, protecting a 5--2 lead.

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Angels: A week into the season, ace pitcher Jered Weaver breaks his elbow.

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Dodgers: A week into the season, ace pitcher Greinke breaks his collarbone.

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Ace pitcher Roger Clemens starred for Boston for 13 seasons, before being allowed to leave in 1996 as Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette notoriously commented that "The Rocket" was "in the twilight of his career".

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The major reason obviously is a single-game elimination in which they may have to use their ace starting pitcher, making him unavailable until Game 3 of a five-game division series.

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In fourth and fifth on our list are the 2003 Marlins (91-71) and the 1916 Red Sox (91-63), a club led by an ace left-handed pitcher named Babe Ruth.

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He went there, ostensibly, to remove Red Sox pitching ace Pedro Martinez in favor of a relief pitcher.

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Ace of three World Series winners, Morris finished with 254 victories and was the winningest pitcher of the 1980s.

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Beckett has been an up and down pitcher for awhile now, while the rest of the pitching is very average once you get past ace Clayton Kershaw.

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