SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Sammy Sosa and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal were disappointed that Ivan Rodriguez beat out Pedro Martinez for the American League's Most Valuable Player award.

"It's an injustice. Pedro was the most distinguished player in the big leagues in 1999 and deserved to be Most Valuable Player," said Marichal, the former San Francisco Giants great and now the Dominican Republic's sports minister.

Rodriguez became just the fourth player to win an MVP without getting the most first-place votes. Martinez had eight to his seven, but all 28 voters listed Rodriguez on their ballots while two omitted Martinez.

"It's regrettable. I was sure that Pedro would win and in any event, I think Manny Ramirez had more of a chance of defeating him," Sosa said, referring to the Cleveland outfielder who had 165 RBI, the most in the major leagues since 1938.

"There's no doubt that Ivan is the best catcher in the game," said Sosa, the Chicago Cubs outfielder who won last year's NL MVP award. "We have to congratulate Rodriguez for winning. He had really impressive numbers."

Marichal said the vote reminded him of his own disappointments during an otherwise stellar career.

"I had six seasons with 20 or more victories, including one with 26 and another with 25, and they never gave me a (winning) vote for the Cy Young," he said. "It's something that hurts."