There will be some familiar faces at Fenway Park this weekend, and Dustin Pedroia is a big reason why one of them is back in town.
The Boston Red Sox kick off a three game series Friday night against the Cleveland Indians, who are managed by ex-Red Sox skipper Terry Francona and employ former Boston first baseman Mike Napoli. Both Francona and Napoli helped the Red Sox win World Series — Francona in 2004 and 2007, Napoli in 2013 — before heading elsewhere.
Napoli signed with Cleveland in January 2016, and if you think it’s a coincidence he wound up on a team managed by a former member of the Red Sox — well, it’s not. In an interview Friday with The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, Francona admitted it was Pedroia who convinced him to bring on the veteran first baseman.
“Pedey’s the one that told me to sign him,” Francona told Shaughnessy. “He said you’re gonna love him and he’s been great for us. I mean, really great. He’s kind of made us different.”
Francona still keeps in touch with Pedroia, who played six seasons under “Tito” before his departure in 2011. Pedroia also is close with Napoli, so his recommendation carries weight. So far, it’s paying off for the Indians:Â Napoli enters Friday with a .241 batting average but leads the team in both home runs (seven) and RBIs (26) through 35 games.
The 34-year-old struggled near the end of his tenure with Boston before finding success in a brief stint with the Texas Rangers in the final two months of the 2015 season. But it appears he has found a new home in Cleveland, and he’ll have the chance to thank Pedroia this weekend for landing his latest big-league gig.
Thumbnail photo via Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports Images
