Dustin Pedroia has the unique ability to make an 0-for-4 night look sensational.
Pedroia went hitless Thursday as the Red Sox defeated the Seattle Mariners 2-1 at Safeco Field, yet the second baseman left his fingerprints all over Boston’s win through his sensational defense.
Pedroia’s first display of nifty glove work came against his second base counterpart, Robinson Cano, who opened the bottom of the fourth inning with a chopper up the middle.
The ball deflected off the glove of Red Sox starter Joe Kelly and shot over toward Pedroia, where the four-time Gold Glove winner made a backhanded snag and fired to first baseman Mike Napoli for the first out of the inning.
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Kelly seemed appreciative of the effort, but the play paled in comparison to the one Pedroia made minutes later with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth as the Red Sox clung to a 1-0 lead.
Dustin Ackley hit a chopper to the right side that spelled trouble when Napoli failed to field it cleanly. Luckily for the Red Sox, Pedroia was there to gobble up the deflection and toss to Kelly, who alertly covered first base despite Napoli’s inability to secure the baseball. The play preserved the 1-0 advantage.
Of course, Pedroia still wasn’t done.
The Mariners threatened against rookie hurler Matt Barnes with the game tied 1-1 in the eighth inning. The Red Sox escaped the first-and-second, one-out jam, however, when shortstop Xander Bogaerts fielded a chopper off the bat of Kyle Seager and flipped to Pedroia, who spun a beautiful double play.
A lot second basemen probably would have taken a different, more conservative approach to fielding Bogaerts’ flip, as the runner was coming in hot with little time for Pedroia to spin the twin killing. Pedroia cut across the bag and delivered a hard strike to Napoli in one fluid motion, though, and Boston exited the inning unscathed with the game still tied 1-1.
The Red Sox pushed across the eventual game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning. So, in effect, one could credit Pedroia for saving the day while also providing a spark going into the final frame.
Not bad for a hitless night.
Thumbnail photo via Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports Images
