Dustin Pedroia, one of the greatest middle infielders in Boston Red Sox history, has retired at the age of 37. The veteran second baseman from Woodland, CA, was a four-time All-Star in the American League, was the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year, and the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player.
From 2006 to 2019, Pedroia had 6777 plate appearances and 6031 at bats for the Red Sox in 1512 games. He batted .299 with 140 home runs and 725 runs batted in. Pedroia also scored 922 runs, and had 1805 hits, 394 doubles, 15 triples, 138 stolen bases, 624 walks, 2649 total bases, 25 sacriice hits, 59 sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .365, and a slugging percentage of .439.
In 2008, when Pedroia was the American League Most Valuable Player, he led the junior circuit in runs (118), and Major League Baseball in hits (213), and doubles (54). Pedroia also batted .326 with 17 home runs, 83 runs batted in, two triples, 20 stolen bases, 50 walks, 322 total bases, seven sacrifice hits, nine sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .376, and a slugging percentage of .493.
Pedroia’s regular season success continued into 2009. That year he led the American League with 115 runs scored.
Pedroia was an All-Star in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2013. Known for his defense, he also won four gold gloves at second base in 2008, 2011, 2013, and 2014. Pedroia’s career fielding percentage was an excellent .991, and won the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year Award. That year he only committed five errors in 688 chances at one of the more challenging positions in the field to play.
However, Pedroia was considered great not just for his regular season success. In the postseason, he won two World Series. The first in 2007, as the Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies in a four-game sweep, and the second with the Red Sox in 2013 as the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals in six games. In 51 postseason games, Pedroia batted .233 with five home runs, and 25 runs batted in.
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