Pedroia may be on the mend, but his leadership still lifts Sox

Dustin Pedroia has experienced it all.

He’s heard it all. He's seen it all. And, all he wants to do is play baseball.

He’s spent the last decade establishing himself as a winner. Individual accomplishments don’t matter much. In fact, he actually once used his Rookie of the Year award as a doorstop at his Arizona home.

It should be evident that all he cares about is winning as a team.

Nearly a month ago, some fans questioned Pedroia’s leadership. It became a hot-button topic and discussed for weeks. He addressed those concerns and things settled down. Truth be told, it’s never been an issue in the clubhouse.

Even though the dust has settled, and the Red Sox are in first place in the A.L. East, leadership and chemistry remain an important topic.

There are 39 games remaining in the regular season and Boston owns a five-game lead in the division. Pedroia is on the 10-day disabled list with inflammation in his right knee, but he’s still an active voice behind closed doors, and in the dugout, as the team is attempting to earn a postseason berth.

“He’s one of the best in the game,” Brock Holt said. “We’re all extremely fortunate to be on the same team as him. He does a lot of things on the field that we all look up to. He plays the game the right way. He plays hard.

“Off the field, he’s a guy that everyone in this clubhouse looks to when things are going bad and when things are going good. We’re fortunate he’s on our team and everyone in this clubhouse looks up to him.”

After David Ortiz retired following the 2016 season, there was a perception that entering spring training Pedroia would become the team leaders.

“He’s been a leader here for a decade,” John Farrell told BostonSportsJournal.com on Sunday, after the Sox' 5-1 victory over the Yankees gave them the weekend series and stretched their lead in the East to five games. “There may have been guys with more of a veteran presence, or stature, just because of their time in the league, but there hasn’t been a wholesale change in his voice in the clubhouse. It’s always been a presence.”

It’s a subject Pedroia isn’t comfortable talking about, only because he’s the type of player who wants his actions on the field to speak for itself.

When Pedroia first entered the majors in 2006, then-veteran Mike Lowell made it a point to help the rookie. Lowell quickly realized the best way to help Pedroia was to let him be himself on and off the field.

For years, he’s been the one helping younger players in a similar fashion.

“It’s just a part of it,” Pedroia told BSJ. “The more you’re involved in the game for a long period of time, a lot of young guys come up and you just want to create the right environment and just help them along any way you can, of playing the game the right way. The first thing you should have on your mind is winning, so you just want to pass that along and there’s been a lot of guys who have helped guys do that.”

Pedroia describes his leadership in a simple way.

“We’re in first place,” he said with a laugh. “No, everything’s going great. We have a great group of guys and we’re really close. We don’t buy into what the outside perceives us as, or what reality they think goes on. The reality of our team is we’re really close and nothing’s going to get in between anybody and that’s basically it. We’re showing up every day ready to play for each other and that’s all we’re thinking about.”

There’s no question the Red Sox miss Ortiz on and off the field. No doubt the fans do too. But just because No. 34 is on the outside doesn’t mean Pedroia’s role has suddenly changed this season.

“It’s been the same for a long time,” Pedroia said. “I don’t do anything different this year than I have in previous years. The only thing different is you get asked questions about it – that’s it.”

After the Red Sox won the weekend series against the Yankees, Boston traveled to Cleveland for a four-game set against the Central-leading Indians. Since he’s on the DL, Pedroia will remain in Boston to continue his rehab.

“I’m just trying to get healthy,” he said. “It stinks but (injuries) are part of the game. I was rolling right along until I had some soreness and had to get checked out. I’m just focusing on getting better and trying to get back out there.”

Prior to Sunday’s game, the Red Sox honored former second baseman and current broadcaster Jerry Remy, who is battling cancer and will begin chemotherapy treatment on Tuesday. He mentioned afterward that this current team has the potential to do some special things again this season and possibly in the playoffs.

Pedroia agrees.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “We’ll find out."