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Pedro receives Hall-worthy welcome in Dominican Republic

Martinez dedicates HOF election to home country

Shortly after learning he had received enough votes to gain entry to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, Pedro Martinez posted on his Twitter account that he "would love to see what is like to celebrate something related to me in the DR. I can just imagine how the streets are right now," referring to the Dominican Republic.

When Martinez made his return to his native country Saturday, he received a hero's welcome.

From the moment he stepped off a private jet, holding a small Dominican Republic flag, Martinez was greeted by by dozens of people, including his mother, Leopoldina. He took a caravan from the airport to a public park in Santo Domingo, where thousands of people gathered to welcome him.

Martinez is only the second Dominican native in the Hall of Fame, joining Juan Marichal, who was inducted in 1983.

"I want to dedicate this to the Dominican people," Martinez said at a news conference via the Associated Press.

Video: Pedro honored to be part of 2015 Hall of Fame class

On stage at the park, he was joined by countrymen David Ortiz and Robinson Cano, and Martinez said he wanted to now pass the torch to the younger generation of Dominican players.

Martinez was expected to go late Saturday night to his hometown of Manoguayabo where 10 orchestras are supposed to be set up to welcome him.

Jamal Collier is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jamalcollier.