Everything gets easier with time. Such is the case with Pedro Martinez, 18 years after he struggled in Game 2 of the 2004 ALCS between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Martinez memorably conceded defeat that night, going as far as calling the Yankees his “daddy”.

The banter between Yankees fans and Martinez still has not ceased to this day, and it appears the Hall of Famer is still reveling in the misery of the Yankees faithful, especially after the Houston Astros brought out the brooms and made quick work of the Yankees in the 2022 ALCS.

Speaking on the TBS postgame show after the Astros' 6-5 Game 4 win that clinched Houston's fourth trip to the Fall Classic in six seasons, Pedro Martinez made fun of the Yankees' defeat, adding fuel to the fire in hilarious fashion.

“Hey New York… who’s your daddy now? The Astros. It’s not Big Papi anymore. You can’t beat the Astros,” Martinez said, per Jordan Moore of The Athletic.

Pedro Martinez was clearly having a laugh, but he's not wrong. The Yankees have come up against the Astros thrice in the ALCS since 2017 and failed to get over the hump on every occasion.

The team in pinstripes went up 3-2 in 2017 but their bats got shut down in Games 6 and 7 on the road. (Sure, the Astros may have had some extra help during that time.) Then in 2019, a dominant Game 1 Yankees victory wasn't enough as the Astros took home the next three games, eventually closing out the series in six.

And Yankees fans would rather forget about the putrid offensive display they put up in this year's ALCS en route to a disheartening sweep that put a damper on the historic offensive onslaught by Aaron Judge, who went ice cold at the worst possible time.

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In addition, Martinez will also be elated to know that his beloved Red Sox were responsible for two of the other three Yankees playoff defeats since 2017, defeating them in the 2018 ALDS and then eliminating them in a winner-take-all contest in the 2021 Wild Card game.

One of the most beautiful things about sports is that hardly anybody forgets the most nerve-wracking moments, and Pedro Martinez will certainly never forget the relief he felt after the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino, having overcome the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS despite his struggles.

And may the longstanding banter between Martinez and the Yankees live for as long as baseball exists.