Pedroia Playing With Thumb Ligament Tear

Dustin Pedroia tore a ligament in his tumb on Opening Day and has been playing with it ever since. Why? Two reasons. First, Pedey has a .332 batting average and a 1.000 fielding percentage while starting every game that’s why. Pedroia sustained the injury when he dove head first into first base on April 1 at Yankee Stadium.  A ligament tear like Pedroia’s normally takes about two months to heal.

May 28, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (15) dives for a ground ball during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Second, and most important, Pedroia is the ultimate “dirt dog” an affectionate term used in Boston for a throwback type gamer who plays hard, gets dirty and will do anything to win no matter what. You have to remember that Pedroia bought a place that overlooks Fenway Park and paces the house on game day looking for the batting cages to be rolled out. Once he sees this happen he’s gone. He’s the first to come and the last to leave. Pedey will be taken out of the lineup only when he’s spent and  can’t go anymore. That’s simply they way the guy is wired and we love him for it.

“I didn’t expect this to come out,” Pedroia told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “As players here, we all want our medical stuff to stay private and all that stuff. I kind of feel uncomfortable talking about it. When players are playing, we don’t want to talk about injuries and stuff like that.” Well Pedey, in any event it’s out there and as soon as you slump, if you slump, the story will grow legs again. It’s the nature of playing in the Boston media fishbowl.