If there’s one man who appreciates what Dustin Pedroia brings to the Boston Red Sox, it’s Brian Butterfield.
The Red Sox third base coach showered his second baseman in praise Wednesday, marveling at Pedroia’s consistency despite a seemingly constant stream of injuries.
“He’s been playing with one hand for two years, and it’s amazing,” Butterfield told ESPN.com’s Gordon Edes. “I’ve been telling people in my own family, he’s the toughest guy I’ve ever seen in my life.
“If he was able to play with two hands, he’d be dominant. It’s unbelievable what he can do with 160 pounds, and the injuries he’s been playing with in his hands.”
Pedroia’s hands have taken a beating over the past few seasons. He tore a ligament in his pinky finger in 2012, tore another in his thumb last season and was shut down by the Red Sox earlier this month so he could undergo surgery on his wrist. The various ailments have caused his offensive numbers to drop — this season’s .278 average was the lowest of Pedroia’s career — but they rarely have forced him out of the lineup.
Pedroia played in 160 regular-season games in 2013 (plus 16 more in the playoffs) and missed just nine of the Red Sox’s first 144 games this season before opting for season-ending surgery.
“Just about everybody I’ve read about who had the same type of injury (torn thumb ligament) shut it down, had it operated on and missed most of the season,” Butterfield said. “How many games did (Pedroia) play last season? One hundred sixty? He fought through it and never complained once. The most noble athlete I’ve ever come across.
“He’s reached unattainable heights in my eyes. That’s toughness beyond toughness. That’s one of the things I admire about him so much, his relentlessness and physical and mental toughness. No one comes close. Whoever is second, I can’t even see with binoculars.”
Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said he is “very optimistic” that Pedroia will make a full recovery.
