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Dustin Pedroia retirement ceremony
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Post by ramireja on Jun 24, 2021 13:32:29 GMT -5
Pedey deserves our attention with his retirement ceremony tomorrow. Feel free to post your favorite Pedey moments below.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Jun 24, 2021 13:46:30 GMT -5
My favorite, during the playoff series against the Astros, Bregman told Pedroia he was short. Petey replied that if the were standing on their World Series rings and MVP trophies he'd be a lot taller.
Also, when they were toying with moving him to shortstop, he called up Jeter and told him to cancel his plans to expand his silver slugger trophy case.
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Post by julyanmorley on Jun 24, 2021 13:46:40 GMT -5
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Post by Addam603 on Jun 24, 2021 13:50:44 GMT -5
Pedroia was always my favorite Red Sox player. I remember the first time I ever saw him play was during his cup of coffee in 2006. He was this young kid playing 2B and hitting below .200 but I loved the energy he played the game with. I decided then and there that he was my favorite player and he ended up being one of the best 2B in Red Sox history.
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radiohix
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'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
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Post by radiohix on Jun 24, 2021 13:52:11 GMT -5
My favorite, during the playoff series against the Astros, Bregman told Pedroia he was short. Petey replied that if the were standing on their World Series rings and MVP trophies he'd be a lot taller. Also, when they were toying with moving him to shortstop, he called up Jeter and told him to cancel his plans to expand his silver slugger trophy case. It was David Wright actually (ironically another franchise icon with a career cut short due to a chronic injury) |
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Post by julyanmorley on Jun 24, 2021 14:07:54 GMT -5
Pedroia and Youkilis were the first two prospects I rooted hard for that ended up being big successes. Both were also kind of flash points in the statgeeks vs scouts war of the early 2000's, which I was emotionally invested in at the time. Youkilis famously was profiled in Moneyball. Pedroia did not have many advocates among scouts until he made it, either. My memory is that nearing the end of his time in the minors, the spreadsheets said he was in the running for best prospect in baseball, while Baseball America didn't have him in their top 100. I remember chatting with Nate Silver at a Cubs game and even he thought the PECOTA projections were a little much.
Rather than vindicating my statgeek view of baseball, those guys taught me that nobody knows anything. The Greek God of Walks because a valuable player because he hit for high average, with power and good defense. And the low-ceiling, high-floor second baseman had an MVP trophy when he was 25.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 24, 2021 15:53:10 GMT -5
One of my more favorite underrated Pedroia moments was his put away the game (and series) 2 run double in Game 3 of the 2007 World Series.
Daisuke actually pitched extremely well and even had a 2 run single in a 6 run 3rd inning, but then he started to run out of gas in the 6th and got a quick hook and Javier Lopez was bad and next thing you knew only good defense kept the game at 6-2, but the Rockies then got a 3 run HR from Matt Holliday to close the gap to 6-5. After a Helton single, Okajima beared down and got three outs to preserve the lead.
But I was nervous that the Sox would blow the lead and the Series would turn, but then in the 8th with two on and one out the rookies took over.
Ellsbury got a bloop chalk line double just out of Brad Hawpe's reach to make it 7-5.
And then Pedroia applied the dagger with a 2 run double and you knew for sure that the Sox would win the game and take the series.
Of course that's not the first time that post-season he did that.
We all remember his game altering 2 run blast off of Betancourt when I was just hoping he could manage a sac fly. The Sox were in Game 7 of the 2007 ALCS and had run off to an easy 3-0 lead but it was slipping away. Fortunately a base running blunder by 3rd base coach Joel Skinner in which he held up Kenny Lofton who should have easily scored the tying run was the turning point. A killer double play ensued but the game was up for grabs.
An error by Cleveland put a runner on 2nd with no outs. 1 out later and with a runner on 3rd Pedroia crushed that HR over the monster to make it 5-2.
But a lot of people forget that he put the game away for good with a bases clearing 3 run double that stretched a 6-2 lead to 9-2 and preceded the Coke Bottle HR that Youkilis hit to turn the lights out for Cleveland.
He was a joy to watch. Wish he had a couple of extra hits so he could have maintained that lifetime .300 BA.
Hopefully 1 day he'll make it to Cooperstown (a different debate) and the Sox can retire his number 15.
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Post by foreverred9 on Jun 24, 2021 16:37:21 GMT -5
My prospect following really picked up in 2004. Perhaps because 2003 made me obsess over everything Red Sox, perhaps because it was freshman year of college and I had all this free time and Sabermetrics was just starting to pick up, but Dustin was the first baseball player I was able to track wire-to-wire from draft day.
I'll always have fond memories listening to the 2005 Sea Dogs. It's crazy to think now since RedSoxStats has videos up nightly, but that was pre-YouTube and pre-Twitter. It makes feel old to say this but we were lucky that Portland actually streamed their broadcasts. That was arguably the second-best team in SoxProspects history with Papelbon, Lester, Hanley, Dustin, Murphy, Moss, etc. Anibal Sanchez was up later in the year too.
Anyways, my favorite memory of Dustin was later that year when he was in Pawtucket. Once a year we used to get on a bus and go to Pawtucket with my grandfather and his rotary buddies. I remember talking up Dustin on that entire ride, letting folks know about his insane contact rates (those BB/K rates were legendary) and his ability to always square up on the ball. Dustin didn't disappoint that night, which boosted my credibility with the elders.
We must have done that trip for 15-20 years. We had some good memories, another one of which being the hype leading up to seeing Nomar play down there back in 1996, but I'll never forget Dustin roping one right down the left field line. It didn't have any meaningful impact to the game like many of his other hits (i.e. the lead-off HR against the Rockies in G1 2007) but it's always what I comes to mind when I reflect on my experiences at McCoy over the years.
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Post by philarhody on Jun 24, 2021 17:31:46 GMT -5
Favorite memory was seeing him beat out an infield single in Pawtucket. The way he ran, every fiber in his being making the most out of his 5’8 bald, white frame, made me sure he would be a player.
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Post by sittingstill on Jun 24, 2021 20:44:10 GMT -5
I put my thoughts in a Twitter thread of photos back in February.
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Post by sibbysisti on Jun 25, 2021 6:52:07 GMT -5
Best RS second baseman in my lifetime. And his stats bear this out. A dirt dog who loved the game and always was the first guy at the Park.
A story I recall was the start of his second season after he'd won Rookie of the Year. Reporter asked what he was going to do for his second season and he replied: "Going to win rookie of the year again".
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Post by ancientsoxfogey on Jun 25, 2021 7:04:17 GMT -5
.... and even slightly better than Dalton Jones.
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jimoh
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Post by jimoh on Jun 25, 2021 7:06:52 GMT -5
My favorite moment was every single time he popped up in an instant after diving for a ball, immediately ready to make the throw.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jun 25, 2021 8:59:11 GMT -5
Pedroia was one of the first professional athletes I ever interviewed, and certainly the first prominent one as a top prospect in Pawtucket (in Lowell, I'd mostly talked to the guys I'd needed to for the gamer, although the first one I interviewed, RJ "The Great Rock and Roll" Swindle, did get a cup of coffee in the bigs). He was injured at the time (wrist I think?) and was clearly very, very sick of being asked about it. Ornery in a way that was kind of relatable - not as in "what a dick" but more "man he's sick of talking about that." Certainly part of the attitude that led to him being successful.
I really hope he does TV at some point. I think he'd be really good.
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radiohix
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'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
Posts: 6,307
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Post by radiohix on Jun 25, 2021 17:55:05 GMT -5
I hate cutting onions guys.
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Post by sibbysisti on Jun 25, 2021 18:55:18 GMT -5
Pedroia was one of the first professional athletes I ever interviewed, and certainly the first prominent one as a top prospect in Pawtucket (in Lowell, I'd mostly talked to the guys I'd needed to for the gamer, although the first one I interviewed, RJ "The Great Rock and Roll" Swindle, did get a cup of coffee in the bigs). He was injured at the time (wrist I think?) and was clearly very, very sick of being asked about it. Ornery in a way that was kind of relatable - not as in "what a dick" but more "man he's sick of talking about that." Certainly part of the attitude that led to him being successful. I really hope he does TV at some point. I think he'd be really good. Better still, on the field showing younger players how to play the game. |
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Post by Canseco on Jun 25, 2021 19:44:25 GMT -5
Wait… did we retire Pedey’s number tonight? Michael Kay just said #15 was up on the facade with Ted, Yaz, and the gang.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 25, 2021 21:48:53 GMT -5
Wait… did we retire Pedey’s number tonight? Michael Kay just said #15 was up on the facade with Ted, Yaz, and the gang. I think Michael Kay is mistaken. That said, I hope the Sox do retire his number. Nobody else is going to wear 15. Likewise I do not think 49 or 33 or 21 will get reissued either. |
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TearsIn04
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Post by TearsIn04 on Jun 25, 2021 22:09:38 GMT -5
I heard Kay say that too. I quickly hecked redsox.com on my phone during the game and didn't see a mention of it. I'm pretty sure Kay was wrong.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jun 26, 2021 0:22:34 GMT -5
It was awesome to see Pedroia. I'm sure he'll be active in the Sox organization in some capacity (coaching) when his boys are grown up.
He was and is truly a Red Sox.
They talk about heart and soul. As far as the Sox go, in the championship era, Pedroia was the heart of the Red Sox. The soul of the Red Sox was David Ortiz.
If we're into analogies, I would guess that would make Jason Varitek the backbone.
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ericmvan
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Post by ericmvan on Jun 26, 2021 1:12:05 GMT -5
He told O'Brien, Remy, and Eck that he would raise his kids and then return to the game "on the field." I figure 3B (and infield) coach when 'Tek succeeds Cora as manager.
Meanwhile, the more I thought about it during the ceremony, the more I felt he belongs in the HoF. I think his chances are very good. His numbers are borderline but the borderline is exactly where you look for other factors to identify the small percentage who belong in the Hall. And it's as simple as this: he was genuinely famous, and he was famous for all the right reasons. He exemplified everything you'd want a ballplayer to be as a teammate and competitor.
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Post by scottysmalls on Jun 26, 2021 2:27:09 GMT -5
He told O'Brien, Remy, and Eck that he would raise his kids and then return to the game "on the field." I figure 3B (and infield) coach when 'Tek succeeds Cora as manager.
Meanwhile, the more I thought about it during the ceremony, the more I felt he belongs in the HoF. I think his chances are very good. His numbers are borderline but the borderline is exactly where you look for other factors to identify the small percentage who belong in the Hall. And it's as simple as this: he was genuinely famous, and he was famous for all the right reasons. He exemplified everything you'd want a ballplayer to be as a teammate and competitor.
Pedroia is my favorite player of all time. As a kid the guy I modeled everything I did after. But I don’t think his numbers are borderline, unfortunately just shy of that. Without injuries he’d get there and he’d make it. But it feels to me like he’s so close but not quite there, which is sad because of what you said - he’s exactly the type that has everything else going for him, and if it wasn’t for a Machado slide he’d be there. |
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Post by GyIantosca on Jun 26, 2021 3:22:29 GMT -5
Remember after they kicked ass on the Rockies, they went to play game 3 and security gave him a hard time like you ain’t no baseball player, so classic Petey he said go get the pitcher Jeff Francis he knows who I am. Because he destroyed him in game one. That was there ace. True story. Lol. They played the first 2 in Fenway.
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jimoh
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Post by jimoh on Jun 26, 2021 5:52:30 GMT -5
Wait… did we retire Pedey’s number tonight? Michael Kay just said #15 was up on the facade with Ted, Yaz, and the gang. I think Michael Kay is mistaken. That said, I hope the Sox do retire his number. Nobody else is going to wear 15. Likewise I do not think 49 or 33 or 21 will get reissued either. They said during the ceremony that they have waived the waiting period, retired his number [[but people are saying this is incorrect]], and put him in the Sox Hall of Fame. www.mlb.com/news/dustin-pedroia-retirement-ceremony-with-red-sox |
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jimoh
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Post by jimoh on Jun 26, 2021 5:53:29 GMT -5
Remember after they kicked ass on the Rockies, they went to play game 3 and security gave him a hard time like you ain’t no baseball player, so classic Petey he said go get the pitcher Jeff Francis he knows who I am. Because he destroyed him in game one. That was there ace. True story. Lol. They played the first 2 in Fenway. It was "get %$^*ing Jeff Francis." |
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