Pedroia Inducted Into Sea Dogs Hall of Fame

Portland, Maine - The Portland Sea Dogs, in conjunction with Unum, have announced that former Sea Dog and current Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is the 2015 inductee into the Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame, presented by Unum.

"Going to Portland, they knew your name… so it was definitely a great experience, and fun," said Pedroia. "I had a great time. The city was awesome and it was a great place to play."

 

 

Pedroia was selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of Arizona State. He appeared in 66 games for the Sea Dogs in 2005 and hit .324/.409/.508 with eight home runs, 40 RBI, 19 doubles, 39 runs scored, seven stolen bases, and 34 walks compared to just 26 strikeouts.

Pedroia made his Sea Dog debut on April 7th, 2005, at Hadlock Field - Opening Day for the 2005 season - and went 1-for-3 with a walk, hitting second in the Sea Dogs' lineup and playing second base. He was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket on June 21st and was still named an Eastern League postseason All-Star despite playing just 66 games in Double-A. Following the season, he was named the #5 prospect in the Red Sox system according to Baseball America.

Pedroia made his major league debut with the Red Sox the following season on August 22nd, 2006, in Anaheim against the Angels. Batting ninth and playing shortstop, Pedroia picked up his first major league hit in the fourth inning with a single to left field off of Joe Saunders. Pedroia finished the game 1-for-3 before Manny Ramirez pinch hit for him to lead off the ninth inning.

Pedroia spent his first full season in Boston in 2007 and was named the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year after hitting .317/.380/.442 with eight home runs, 50 RBI, 39 doubles, 86 runs scored, seven stolen bases, and 47 walks compared to 42 strikeouts in 139 games. The 2007 Red Sox were the first Red Sox team since 1995 to win the American League Eastern Division title and would go on to win the 2007 World Series.

In 2008, Pedroia was named the American League MVP after hitting .326/.376/.493 with 17 home runs, 83 RBI, 54 doubles, 20 stolen bases and 50 walks compared to 52 strikeouts in 157 games. He led the league with 213 hits and 118 runs scored. Pedroia is a four-time All-Star (2008-10, 2013), four-time Gold Glove Award winner (2008, 2011, 2013-14), and 2008 Silver Slugger winner. He won his second World Series with the Red Sox in 2013.

In 1,226 career big league games, Pedroia has compiled a .299 average with a .365 on-base percentage, 115 home runs, 580 RBI, 335 doubles, 758 runs scored, 126 stolen bases, and 501 walks compared to 520 strikeouts.

The Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame was established in 2005. Pedroia joins Josh Beckett, John Boles, Dan Burke, Bob Ganley, Adrian Gonzalez, Fredi Gonzalez, Livan Hernandez, Charles Johnson, Mark Kotsay, Kevin Millar, Hanley Ramirez, Mike Redmond, Edgar Renteria, Bill Troubh, Carlos Tosca, and Kevin Youkilis as members of the Unum Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame.

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, players must have debuted with the Sea Dogs at least 10 years ago and have had success in Portland and beyond. Each inductee is presented a plaque for their accomplishment. In addition, plaques of the Hall of Fame members are displayed in the Hadlock Field concourse. Fans can also visit the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame section online at www.seadogs.com.

The Sea Dogs' 2015 campaign concludes on Monday, September 7th, at 1:00 PM. Tickets are still available for this weekend's remaining home games and can be purchased by calling the Sea Dogs' Ticket Office at 207-879-9500 or online at www.seadogs.com.