Boston has missed its little guy at second base dearly ever since Pedroia, the 2008 AL MVP and three-time All-Star broke his foot in San Francisco on June 25.
The Red Sox are clearly a better team when Pedroia is in the lineup. Here are some stats that show how important he actually is to Boston’s playoff hopes.
.860: Pedroia’s OPS in 2010, ranking him second in the league (behind Robinson Cano) for second basemen with at least 300 plate appearances.
.768: Combined OPS for Red Sox second basemen not named Dustin Pedroia in 2010, including Bill Hall, Jed Lowrie and Eric Patterson.
2: Number of games over .500 (23-21) that the Red Sox were when Pedroia was absent. Boston was three games out in the AL East when Pedroia went down on June 25, and was six out when he returned on Tuesday.
14: Number of games over .500 (45-31) that the Red Sox are when Pedroia is active.
.293: Pedroia’s combined career average against the Yankees (.292) and Rays (.293). Boston plays New York and Tampa Bay six more times each.
