BOSTON, Massachusetts — Editor's Note: The above video aired in June 2005.
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia announced his retirement from baseball Monday.
While his final years in the league were plagued by injuries, Pedroia walks away from a decorated career that includes three World Series victories. He also won Rookie of the Year (2007), American League Most Valuable Player (2008), four Gold Glove awards, a Silver Slugger award, and was named an All-Star four times.
According to the Red Sox, Pedroia is the only player ever to win a World Series title and earn MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Gold Glove awards within his first two full seasons.
Boston drafted Pedroia in the second round of the 2004 MLB Draft and he stayed with the organization for his entire 17-year career. He spent part of the 2005 season with the Portland Sea Dogs and returned to Maine several times for rehab, most recently in May of 2019. According to Sea Dogs Vice President of Communications Chris Cameron, Pedroia's final professional game was played at Hadlock Field in Portland. Cameron said Pedroia was also the first Sea Dog to go on to win an MLB MVP award.
Cameron added that fans always enjoyed having Pedroia at Hadlock.
"I had so many fans come up to me and tell me that they really loved the way that he played. He was just full of heart, hustle, [he] played the game the right way, played hard and truly that attitude and that mentality got him to the big leagues, and obviously, he excelled when he got there," Cameron told NEWS CENTER Maine. "We're sort of like proud parents, you know? They're sort of like our children out there and we love to see them have success and go on to great things."
Though small in stature, Pedroia was known for his toughness and grit on the diamond, which earned him the respect, admiration, and adoration of the notoriously demanding Boston fanbase.
“Dustin is so much more than his American League Most Valuable Player award, his All-Star Game selections, and the Gold Gloves he amassed throughout his impressive 17-year career in our organization,” Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry said in a statement.
“Dustin came to represent the kind of grit, passion, and competitive drive that resonates with baseball fans everywhere and especially with Red Sox fans," Henry added. "He played the game he loves in service to our club, its principles, and in pursuit of championships. Most of all we are forever grateful to him for what he brought to our club and to our region as an important role model showing all of us how much one can accomplish with determination and hard work.”
It will be interesting to see where Pedroia goes from here, and whether he pursues a coaching career in the near future.
Here are some other stats about his career, provided by the Red Sox:
In the Red Sox’ 120-year history, Pedroia’s 1,506 games played rank 11th all-time and are the second-most among club second baseman, trailing only Bobby Doerr (1,865). Pedroia played in 14 major league seasons from 2006-19, tied with Doerr and David Ortiz for seventh most in franchise history behind only Carl Yastrzemski (23), Dwight Evans (19), Ted Williams (19), Tim Wakefield (17), Jim Rice (16), and Jason Varitek (15). Pedroia made 11 consecutive Opening Day starts from 2007-17, trailing only Yastrzemski (12 in left field) for the longest streak ever by a Red Sox player at any position. In the 11 seasons prior to 2007 (1996-2006), 10 different players made Opening Day starts at second base for Boston.
In his major league career, Pedroia batted .299 (1,805-for-6,031) with a .365 on-base percentage, 140 home runs, 394 doubles, 725 RBI, 922 runs scored, 138 stolen bases, and only 30 fewer walks (624) than strikeouts (654). In Red Sox history, he ranks among the top 10 all time in hits (8th), doubles (6th), runs (10th), steals (6th), extra-base hits (8th, 549), total bases (8th, 2,649), and at-bats (9th). During his 10-year stretch from 2007-16, his 50.6 wins above replacement ranked sixth in the majors behind only Robinson Canó (57.6), Adrián Beltré (56.2), Albert Pujols (55.3), Miguel Cabrera (54.8), and Clayton Kershaw (53.9), according to Baseball-Reference. In that 10-year span, Pedroia batted .303 and ranked second in the AL in doubles (371), fourth in hits (1,666), and fourth in runs scored (869).
Pedroia hit at least .300 in a season five times and was the only major leaguer to bat at least .275 in each of the 11 seasons from 2007-17 (min. 300 PA). His five games with at least five hits are the most in Red Sox history, and he is the franchise’s only player ever to record as many as six hitting streaks of 10 or more games in a single season (2016). His 25-game hitting streak in 2011 is the longest ever by a Red Sox second baseman, while his 138 steals are the franchise’s most at his position. Pedroia is the only second baseman in Red Sox history to record at least 200 hits and 100 runs scored in a season (2008, ’16). He still holds single-season franchise records in batting average (.326), runs (118), hits (213), doubles (54), total bases (322), and extra-base hits (73) by a second baseman, all reached during his 2008 MVP season. Pedroia joins Yastrzemski and Mookie Betts as the only Red Sox ever to reach 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases.
In addition to his four Gold Glove Awards, Pedroia was named a finalist at second base in 2012, 2016, and 2017. His .991 fielding percentage at second base is the highest in AL history; he owns eight of the 12 highest single-season fielding percentages at second base in Red Sox history, including a franchise-best .997 mark in 2014. Pedroia fielded 439 consecutive chances without committing an error during a stretch from 2009-10 and played 114 consecutive errorless games from 2016-17, both Red Sox records at second base. He also holds Red Sox single-season records for most games (160) and starts (159) at second base, both reached during the club’s 2013 World Series championship season.
Pedroia was the Red Sox’ starting second baseman in all 51 of the club’s Postseason games from 2007-17, as he joins Mark Lemke (Braves, 55) and Robinson Canó (Yankees, 51) as the only players ever to start at least 50 consecutive Postseason games at second base for a single team. During his 2007 rookie season, Pedroia went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBI in Game 7 of the ALCS, as he still holds the rookie record for most RBI in an ALCS game. He is one of only two rookies ever to homer in Game 7 of an ALCS, joined by Randy Arozarena in 2020. Pedroia homered to lead off the bottom of the first inning in Game 1 of the 2007 World Series at Fenway Park; he is still the only rookie ever to hit a leadoff home run in the World Series.