Did the Yankees bug the Red Sox clubhouse in the 2004 ALCS? Netflix series tells a spy story.

Martinez, who started the game and took the loss, remembers knowing he had to give his best and face significant criticism from fans, but beyond that, “There was something going on.”

“I remember before the game I just climbed up to the ceiling of the clubhouse and pulled out a microphone and probably a little device that was broadcasting our conversations,” Martinez says.

Other Red Sox players confirmed the spy story in interviews that didn't make it into the final version, the series' director told MassLive. Then-Red Sox manager Terry Francona told the Globe the story was news to him.

“I’ve never heard of that before,” Francona said. “My memory isn't the best, but I would remember something like that.”

When asked about Netflix's snooping allegations, former Yankees manager Joe Torre refuted them with a swear word.

“I say it didn’t happen,” Torre said. “And when it did happen, we didn’t get the benefit of a microphone, someone else did.”

It takes a lot of imagination to wonder who other than the opposing team would set up a microphone in the visitors' clubhouse where players and coaches discuss strategies and pitch sequences.

“The microphone thing came to light spontaneously when we were interviewing several players, including the two we used in the documentary, Pedro and Schilling,” Colin Barnicle, the director of the three-part series, told the Globe.

“It's one thing we had no idea how to get involved with. I think, more than anything, it reinforces and confirms the sense of paranoia and the heightened stakes that were at stake for both teams in 2003 and 2004.”

On a MassLive podcast this week, Barnicle mentioned that the Red Sox left the clubhouse and stadium and walked across the street to the parking lot to continue their meeting on the team bus.

“Pedro was the last person interviewed, so there were several players in this group originally,” Barnicle said. “We heard from Bronson Arroyo and Doug Mirabelli and Curt Schilling and most of the pitchers. They said, “Yeah, no, that’s what happened.” “We pulled down a microphone.”

“Then they had their team meetings, the pitcher team meetings, on the team bus.

“All the Yankees said, 'No, I'd never heard of that.' But it's strange. It's totally weird that there was a microphone.

“Doug Mirabelli was the guy who ripped it off the clubhouse siding. He did it and Schill was there and Pedro was there. Bronson Arroyo was there. We knew it actually happened. We knew it happened physically. Maybe it led to someone at Yankee Stadium, but maybe it didn’t.”

When reached by the Globe, Martinez declined a request to elaborate.

In baseball, of course, deciphering communication between catchers and pitchers is a time-honored tradition, but it can also be done in dishonorable ways.

A runner at second base can signal to the batter what pitch is coming, but there have been even worse means, such as the 2017 Astros using camera footage of the catcher to convey signals by yelling and banging on trash cans.

In 2017, the Red Sox were caught and punished for passing signs via messages on a Fitbit device following a complaint by the Yankees.

Globe staff members Dan Shaughnessy and Chad Finn contributed to this report.

Michael Silverman can be reached at [email protected].