Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

second baseman who played his entire

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

career for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

, from 2006 to 2019. He was a four-time All-Star, and won the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(AL)

Rookie of The Year Award A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

in 2007 and the AL Most Valuable Player and

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...

in 2008. He has also received four

Gold Glove Awards The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

and was named AL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Pedroia was selected by the Red Sox in the 2004 MLB draft and made his major league debut in 2006. He became a full-time player in 2007, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He was a member of the Red Sox

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

teams in 2007 and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. Pedroia was the last player from the

2007 World Series The 2007 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 season. The 103rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Colorado Rockies and the American L ...

team to leave the club. A knee injury late in the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

season marked the end of his effective play. After playing in only nine major league games over the

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

seasons, including missing the 2018 postseason, he also missed all of the shortened

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

season. He announced his retirement on February 1, 2021. Pedroia was a proficient

contact hitter In baseball, a contact hitter is a hitter who does not strike out often. Thus, they are usually able to use their bats to make contact with the ball (hence the name ''contact'' hitter) to put it in play, and then run fast to reach base. As a resu ...

with a very low strikeout rate and "a surprising amount of

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

", whose defense at second base has been rated significantly above-average. Pedroia was the first Red Sox infielder to win four Gold Gloves.

Early life

Born and raised in

Woodland, California Woodland is a city in and the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population was 61,032 at the 2020 census. Woodland's origins date to 1 ...

, northwest of

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, Pedroia's parents operated a tire shop where they worked 14-hour days. His mother, Debbie Pedroia, played

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

Sacramento City College Sacramento City College (SCC) is a public community college in Sacramento, California. SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had an enrollment of 25,307 in 2009. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community ...

. Pedroia's older brother, Brett, played baseball as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

Shasta College Shasta College is a public community college in Redding, California, with branch campuses in Burney, Weaverville, and Red Bluff. It was founded in 1950 and later moved to a much larger campus while the original campus became the new locati ...

. Pedroia attended Woodland High School and played football and baseball. His football career ended as a freshman

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

; a hit from future All-Pro NFL

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

Lance Briggs Lance Marell Briggs (born November 12, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats and was select ...

shattered his ankle. As a senior baseball player, Pedroia did not strike out all season, compiled a .445

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

and was chosen as his league's most valuable player.

College career

Pedroia attended Arizona State University (ASU), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Arizona State Sun Devils baseball The Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program at the Arizona State University (ASU) is part of the Pac-12 Conference. Since it became a member of the Pac-12, it had the highest winning percentage, at .681, of all schools that participate in Di ...

team. He was teammates with

Ian Kinsler Ian Michael Kinsler ( he, איאן קינסלר; born June 22, 1982) is an American-Israeli former professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for ...

and

Andre Ethier Andre Everett Ethier (; born April 10, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2017 and is second all-time in post-season appearances as a Do ...

. Kinsler and Pedroia competed for the

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

position at ASU. Ultimately, Pedroia stayed at shortstop, while Kinsler ended up at second base before transferring to the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

. In three years at ASU, Pedroia never hit below .347 and had a career average of .384, starting all 185 games. To help ASU recruit better pitchers, Pedroia also relinquished the last two years of his athletic scholarship. He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player; other winners have included

Ike Davis Isaac Benjamin Davis (born March 22, 1987) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. From 2010 through 2016, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, and New York ...

Willie Bloomquist Willie Paul Bloomquist (; born November 27, 1977) is an American baseball coach and former utility player, who is the current head baseball coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. He played college baseball at Arizona State for coach Pat Murphy f ...

Paul Lo Duca Paul Anthony Lo Duca (born April 12, 1972) is an American retired professional baseball player and television personality. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers (–), Florida Marlins (2004–, ), New York ...

, and Barry Bonds.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 MLB draft, with the 65th pick overall. Pedroia, the eighth shortstop drafted, received a $575,000 signing bonus. During three seasons in Minor League Baseball, Pedroia batted .308 while playing second base and

. He spent 2004 with the Class A

Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previo ...

and

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Sarasota Red Sox Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

, part of 2005 with the Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...

, and parts of 2005 and 2006 with the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

Boston Red Sox

2006–2007

After a brief call-up in 2006, when he hit just .191 in 89 at-bats, Pedroia became the regular second baseman for the Red Sox in 2007 replacing

Mark Loretta Mark David Loretta (born August 14, 1971) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1995 and 2009 for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, ...

. Pedroia suffered through an early-season hitting slump, but recovered, later putting up a 13-game hitting streak and a five-hit game against the

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

. He notably made a diving stop to preserve fellow rookie

Clay Buchholz Clay Daniel Buchholz (born August 14, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. Buchholz made h ...

's no-hitter on September 1. Pedroia won the

AL Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

award and was selected to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. The Red Sox played the Indians in the

2007 ALCS The 2007 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2007 American League playoffs, began on October 12 and ended on October 21. It was a best-of-seven series, with the East Division champion Boston Red Sox facing the ...

. In

Game 7 A game seven is the final game of a best of seven series. This game can occur in the postseasons for Major League Baseball (MLB) (League Championship Series and World Series), the National Basketball Association (NBA) (all rounds of the NBA pl ...

of the series, Pedroia homered and doubled, collecting five RBI to secure the Red Sox' spot in the

, to face the

Rockies The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. Pedroia homered in the first at bat of the series, making him only the second player, and the first rookie, to

lead off In baseball, a lead or lead off is the short distance that a player stands away from their current base. On the bases In baseball, to lead off, or to take a lead, refers to the position a baserunner takes just prior to a pitch, a short distance ...

the Series with a home run. The Red Sox went on to win their second World Series title in four seasons – and the first World Series championship for Pedroia.

2008: MVP Season

Pedroia performed very well during the 2008 regular season, and received AL MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. He was the first-ever Red Sox second baseman to win a Silver Slugger Award, the first Red Sox second baseman to win a Gold Glove since

Doug Griffin Douglas Lee Griffin (June 4, 1947 – July 27, 2016) was an American professional baseball second baseman who played for the California Angels and Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Early life Griffin played high school baseball at ...

in 1972, and the first second baseman to win an American League MVP Award since

Nellie Fox Jacob Nelson “Nellie” Fox (December 25, 1927 – December 1, 1975) was an American professional baseball player. Fox was one of the best second basemen of all time, and the third-most difficult hitter to strike out in Major League Baseball (M ...

in 1959. He hit .326 with 17 home runs over 726 PAs, for a 12
wRC+
Pedroia was defensively great, making only six errors through 157 games, saving +9.7 runs over the season, according to

UZR Ultimate zone rating (UZR) is a Sabermetrics, sabermetric statistic used to measure fielding. It compares the event that actually happened (hit/out/error) to data on similarly hit balls in the past to determine how much better or worse the fielder d ...

. 2008 was also Pedroia's most productive season on the basepaths; he stole 20 bases in 21 attempts, for baserunning worth 4.
runs above average
Pedroia's contribution in the regular season was rated 6.5

WAR War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

by Fangraphs, a "superstar" level of performance. He became only the third player in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in consecutive seasons joining

Cal Ripken Jr. Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...

and Ryan Howard, and later was followed by

Kris Bryant Kristopher Lee Bryant (born January 4, 1992), nicknamed "KB", is an American professional baseball third baseman and outfielder for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs and San ...

. Pedroia was hitless through the first three games of the 2008 ALDS, recording only an RBI double in Game 4. The Red Sox defeated the

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

in four games. In the ALCS against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

, Pedroia collected nine hits in 26 plate appearances, including three home runs and a double. The rest of the team struggled to a .234 batting average against the Tampa pitching staff, and the Red Sox lost the series.

2009

On December 3, 2008, Pedroia signed a six-year contract extension worth $40.5 million, with an additional team option for 2015 worth $11 million. Pedroia announced on December 15, 2008, that he would play for the United States team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He recorded the first Major League hit in

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

history during an April 3 exhibition game against the

Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. He hit a home run in his first at bat of the 2009 season. Pedroia was selected to start for the 2009 AL All Star Team. However, Pedroia had to withdraw from the team to stay with his wife Kelli, who was experiencing pregnancy complications with the couple's first child. The same issue had caused him to miss a regular season game prior to the All Star break. Pedroia achieved his first multi-home run game on September 8, 2009, against the

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...

2010

In 2010, MLB

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

Joe West made controversial statements regarding the speed of play between the Red Sox and

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, Pedroia responded by saying, "What he doesn't understand is that when we don't do well in these games against the Yankees, we get killed. If he doesn't want to do Red Sox and Yankee games, he should tell the umpires' union. Then when we're in the World Series, he'll be out of that assignment, too." On June 24, 2010, Pedroia went 5 for 5, with 5 RBI, and hit three home runs in a game against the

that the Red Sox won, 13–11, in the tenth inning. The next day, Pedroia fouled a ball off his foot in an at-bat versus the

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

results the next day confirmed that he had a broken bone in his foot, and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Pedroia was under doctor's orders not to put weight on his injured foot for two weeks, but continued to practice fielding grounders while on his knees. Pedroia was named to be a reserve player on the 2010 AL All Star team, but did not participate due to this injury, and had former Arizona State teammate

replace him on the roster. Pedroia returned to the lineup on August 17 against the

, only to be put back on the DL after playing 2 games. Pedroia would end the 2010 season having played only 75 games.

2011

In 2011, Pedroia bounced back, batting .307 and slugging 21 home runs over 159 games. He won a

Fielding Bible Award A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB) based on statistical analysis. John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions conduct the annual selection process, which commenced in 2 ...

in 2011 as the best fielding second baseman in MLB, and had his best defensive season by

ultimate zone rating Ultimate zone rating (UZR) is a sabermetric statistic used to measure fielding. It compares the event that actually happened (hit/out/error) to data on similarly hit balls in the past to determine how much better or worse the fielder did than the "a ...

, with 18.1 runs saved. In June and July, Pedroia had a 25-game hitting streak, the longest for a Red Sox second baseman. On August 16, Pedroia was involved in throwing a triple play, started by

Jed Lowrie Jed Carlson Lowrie (born April 17, 1984) is an American professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics and New York Mets. Early life Lo ...

. Pedroia's 2011 season was rated at 7.6

Wins Above Replacement Wins Above Replacement or Wins Above Replacement Player, commonly abbreviated to WAR or WARP, is a non-standardized sabermetric baseball statistic developed to sum up "a player's total contributions to his team". A player's WAR value is claimed to ...

by Fangraphs, an "MVP-caliber" performance.

2012

On September 30, 2012, Pedroia broke his left ring finger but, after being reassured the injury would not degrade with use, he made the decision to play through the pain in the following season-ending series at Yankee Stadium.

2013

On July 23, 2013, Pedroia and the Red Sox agreed to an eight-year extension worth $110 million. Pedroia was represented in negotiations by Sam Levinson and Seth Levinson of ACES Inc. Pedroia bounced back from his injury-affected 2012 season to become the only player on the Red Sox to play more than 150 games during the team's 2013 regular season, playing in 160 games. Pedroia posted a strong regular season performance, and was awarded his third Gold Glove, second

, and the Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year Award for the American League. The Red Sox won their division and went on to win the

. In November 2013, Pedroia underwent thumb surgery to repair a torn UCL, an injury he suffered when sliding to first base on opening day.

2014

In May 2014, Pedroia hit his 100th career home run and his 300th career double. Pedroia hit only four home runs before the 2014 All Star break, and his hitting productivity dropped to league average. For the season he batted .278/.337/.376. However, his fielding numbers remained strong. For his defensive performance, Pedroia was honored with the American League Gold Glove award at second base—his fourth in his nine-year career—along with his third Fielding Bible Award. This made him the first Red Sox infielder to win four Gold Gloves.

2015

Pedroia began the 2015 MLB season with two home runs in the Red Sox opening game, on the road at

Citizens Bank Park Citizens Bank Park is a baseball stadium located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's South Philadelphia Sports Complex. It is the home playing field of the Philadelphia Phillies, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise. The ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. On June 25, 2015, the Red Sox placed him on the 15-day disabled list due to a right hamstring

strain Strain may refer to: Science and technology * Strain (biology), variants of plants, viruses or bacteria; or an inbred animal used for experimental purposes * Strain (chemistry), a chemical stress of a molecule * Strain (injury), an injury to a mu ...

2016

Pedroia had a strong month as a hitter in August, culminating in a streak of three games, from August 25 through 27, over which he hit safely in 11 consecutive at bats, falling one hit shy of tying the major league record of 12 consecutive at bats with a base hit (shared by three players since 1902). During the streak, Pedroia had 10 singles, one double, scored two runs and drove in three. He also walked once during the streak, thus reaching base safely over 12 consecutive plate appearances. In 154 games played, Pedroia batted .318 with 201 hits, 36 doubles, 105 runs scored, 15 home runs, and 74 RBI. He tied for second in the AL in double plays grounded into, with 24. The Red Sox finished the 2016 season with a 93–69 record, clinching the AL East division, but were swept in three games by the Indians in the

2016 ALDS The 2016 American League Division Series (ALDS) were two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2016 American League Championship Series of Major League Baseball. The three divisional winners (seeded 1-3) and the wi ...

. On October 13, Pedroia underwent left knee surgery, a partial medial meniscectomy and chondroplasty. He won a 2016 Fielding Bible award. He also won the 2016

Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award The Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award was awarded annually to the best defensive player at each fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB). The award was given between 2012 and 2019. An overall Defensive Player of the Year and a De ...

for second base, in all of MLB.

2017

On May 30, Pedroia was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a left wrist sprain. On August 1, he was again placed on the 10-day disabled list due to left knee soreness. On August 12, Pedroia was placed on the disabled list for the third time of the season due to soreness in the same knee. Limited to 105 games, Pedroia finished the 2017 Red Sox season with a .293 batting average, 7 home runs, and 62 RBI. On October 25, it was revealed that Pedroia underwent surgery on his knee for a complete cartilage restoration, meaning that he would miss the start of the 2018 season.

2018

Following his late 2017 knee surgery, Pedroia started the 2018 Red Sox season on the disabled list. On May 14, he was optioned to the Triple-A

for a rehabilitation assignment. He was activated on May 26, but after three games (batting 1-for-11), he wound up back on the disabled list with left knee inflammation. On August 4, Pedroia was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. On September 7, the Red Sox announced that Pedroia would take no further part in any action for the remainder of 2018. The Red Sox finished the year 108–54 and went on to win the

over the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. Although Pedroia did not play in the postseason and was not on the team's World Series roster; he and other various personnel not on the World Series roster did receive 2018 World Series rings; as championship rings are issued by a team at their discretion.

2019

On March 7, 2019, Pedroia made his spring training debut, hitting a single in his lone at bat of the game while playing in the field for two innings; it was his first game action since May 2018. He began the season on the injured list. On April 4, he was sent to the Class A

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West E ...

on a rehabilitation assignment, where he played in three games, batting 3-for-9. Pedroia was activated for Boston's home opener on April 9, appeared in six games while batting 2-for-20 (.100/.143/.100), and returned to the injured list on April 18 due to left knee irritation. He began a rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Portland on May 2. On May 11, he was scratched from a start due to knee discomfort, and his assignment with Portland was halted on May 13. He restarted his rehabilitation, first with Triple-A Pawtucket on May 17, and then with Double-A Portland on May 24. Pedroia was removed from Portland's May 24 game due to left knee soreness. After being evaluated, he announced on May 27 that he was going to take some time to evaluate his future. When asked if he would ever play again, he said "I'm not sure." The same day, the Red Sox moved Pedroia to the 60-day injured list. On August 6, Pedroia underwent a left knee joint preservation surgery. In 2019, he had the slowest sprint speed of all American League second basemen, at 25.0 feet/second.

2020

On January 21, 2020, it was reported that Pedroia suffered a "significant setback" with his left knee. On February 23, the team placed Pedroia on the 60-day injured list. Due to his injury, Pedroia missed the entirety of the shortened 2020 season.

Retirement

On February 1, 2021, Pedroia announced his retirement from Major League Baseball after 14 seasons. On June 25, 2021, the Red Sox honored Pedroia in a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park, and announced his induction to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2022.

Honors and awards

Amateur and minor league awards

* 2003 First Team All-American (Louisville Slugger) * 2003 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year * 2003 NCAA Defensive Player of the Year * 2004 Golden Spikes Award Finalist * 2004 First-Team Baseball America and USA Today All-American * Red Sox Minor League Base Runner of the Month (April 2005) * Red Sox Minor League Quality Plate Appearances Award (June 2005) * 2005 Post-Season Eastern League All-Star * 2005 Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year * 2005 ''Minor League News'' MLN FAB50 Baseball 2005 – No. 45 * Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Month (June 2006) * Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Month (July 2006) * 2006 ''Minor League News'' MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 – No. 23 * 2006 International League All-Star

Major league awards

* 2007

American League Rookie of the Month Major League Baseball (MLB) honors its best rookies with a Rookie of the Month Award for one player in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL) during each month of the regular season. These awards have been issued since 2001, ...

–May * 2007 American League Player of the Week (May 28 – June 3) * 2007 Players Choice American League Outstanding Rookie * 2007 World Series Champion (Boston Red Sox) * 2007

American League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

* 2008 American League All-Star Starter * 2008 American League

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

Winner * 2008 American League

* 2008

American League Most Valuable Player Award The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

* 2009 American League All-Star Starter * 2010 American League All-Star Reserve * 2010–12

Heart & Hustle Award The Heart & Hustle Award is given out annually by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) to a current player who not only excels on the field, but also "best embodies the values, spirits and traditions of baseball." Nomina ...

Nominee * 2011

American League Player of the Month In Major League Baseball (MLB), the Player of the Month Award is given monthly during the regular season to two outstanding players, one each in the National League (NL) and American League (AL). The NL first awarded the honor during the season, ...

–July * 2011

(at 2B, in all of MLB) * 2011 American League

Winner * 2013 American League All-Star Reserve * 2013 Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year Award (in entire American League) * 2013 Fielding Bible Award (at 2B, in all of MLB) * 2013 American League

Winner * 2013 Heart & Hustle Award Winner * 2013 World Series Champion (Boston Red Sox) * 2014 Fielding Bible Award (at 2B, in all of MLB) * 2014 American League

Winner * 2014–16 Heart & Hustle Award Nominee * 2016

(at 2B, in all of MLB) * 2016 Fielding Bible Award (at 2B, in all of MLB) Having last played in MLB in 2019, Pedroia will be eligible to appear on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2025, expected to be distributed to BBWAA voters in late 2024.

Personal life

Pedroia has garnered multiple nicknames during his time in Boston, including Pedey, the Laser Show, and the Muddy Chicken. His family is of Swiss Italian and Portuguese heritage. The Red Sox officially lists Pedroia at , but he said he is in 2016. Pedroia has expressed an interest in Bigfoot, including tweeting about the show ''

Finding Bigfoot ''Finding Bigfoot'' was an American television series that aired on Animal Planet. The program followed four "researchers" and explorers investigating potential evidence of Bigfoot, a cryptid hominid allegedly living in the wildernesses of th ...

'' from his

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

account. Pedroia enjoys playing the game

cribbage Cribbage, or crib, is a card game, traditionally for two players, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. It can be adapted for three or four players. Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbag ...

; he and former manager

Terry Francona Terrence Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959), nicknamed "Tito", is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox fo ...

used to play together. Pedroia is a fan of the NBA's

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

, and the NFL's

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. On January 9, 2009, Pedroia was named as the cover athlete of the baseball video game '' MLB 09: The Show'', and appeared in several commercials for the game. In August 2009, Pedroia's wife, Kelli, gave birth to the couple's first child, a son. In September 2012, Pedroia's wife Kelli had a second son. In June 2014, the couple had their third son. They owned a home in

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located partia ...

, but sold it in 2020. They reside in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

. Pedroia is the nephew of

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

defensive coordinator

Phil Snow Phillip Snow (born December 22, 1955) is an American football coach who was last the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. Early years Born in Woodland and raised in Winters, both in northern Californ ...

. In a 2009 interview given to ''

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

'' magazine, Pedroia criticized his home town of

, calling it a "dump" and a city that never embraced him. This generated backlash from his hometown and his family received death threats. Pedroia later clarified his comments saying he was only joking and his comments were taken out of context. The original article's author, however, insisted that his use of the comment was not misleading. His transcript of the interview quoted Pedroia as saying "It's a dump. You can quote me on that. I don't give a shit." Pedroia has authored an autobiography, and a children's book about Red Sox mascot

Wally the Green Monster Wally the Green Monster is the official mascot for the Boston Red Sox. His name is derived from the Green Monster, the nickname of the 37-foot 2-inch wall in left field at Fenway Park. Wally debuted on April 13, 1997. Although he was an immediate ...

as a continuation of a series started by

Jerry Remy Gerald Peter Remy (November 8, 1952 – October 30, 2021) was an American professional baseball player and sports broadcaster. Remy played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for ten seasons—three with the California Angels (1 ...

: * *

Notes

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Pedroia, Dustin 1983 births Living people All-American college baseball players American League All-Stars American League Most Valuable Player Award winners American people of Italian descent American people of Portuguese descent Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Augusta GreenJackets players Articles containing video clips Baseball players at the 2003 Pan American Games Baseball players from California Boston Red Sox players Gold Glove Award winners Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Major League Baseball second basemen Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Woodland, California Portland Sea Dogs players Sarasota Red Sox players Scottsdale Scorpions players Silver Slugger Award winners Sportspeople from Greater Sacramento World Baseball Classic players of the United States 2009 World Baseball Classic players Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games