Pedroia Has Found His Swing Since Becoming a Father

In the middle of trying to catch the Yankees and fend off the Rangers and Rays, Dustin Pedroia was forced to miss the first two games of an important series against the Blue Jays in Toronto last week. With his wife pregnant back in Boston and expecting to give birth to the couple's first child, Pedroia flew back to Beantown to be with his wife.

But after the birth of Pedroia's son, Dylan, on Aug. 18, the Red Sox second baseman rejoined the team and hasn't stopped hitting since.

In the eight games since Pedroia returned to the Red Sox lineup, he is 12-for-34 (.353) with six doubles, five RBIs and five runs scored. With hits in eight of the nine games, the Red Sox have gone 5-3 since his return and have held their ground at the top of the wild-card standings.

Prior to the birth of his son, Pedroia had gone just 6-for-36 (.167) in his previous nine games, while his average fell eight points and the Red Sox posted a 4-5 record.

It could be coincidence, but so far it seems like Pedroia is enjoying fatherhood. And the numbers through his first week as a father agree.