Dustin Pedroia Announces Retirement After 14 Years With Red Sox

After 1,512 games and a 14-year career spanning 2006-2019, Dustin Pedroia has officially retired from the Boston Red Sox.

Pedroia announced his decision on Monday morning, ending a 17-year run with the organization after being selected in the 2nd round of the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft.

“Dustin is so much more than his American League Most Valuable Player award, his All-Star Game selections, and the Gold Gloves he amassed throughout his impressive 17-year career in our organization,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in a statement.

Pedroia spent three seasons in the minors before debuting with the Red Sox in a "cup of coffee" stint at the end of the 2006 season. Pedroia earned the full-time job as the team's second baseman for the 2007 season and hit .317 with eight homeruns and 50 runs batted in, and was named the AL Rookie of the Year during Boston's championship run.

The diminutive dirt dog followed his stellar rookie campaign by winning the AL MVP Award in 2008, when he hit .326/17/83 and led the league with 213 hits and 54 doubles.

Injuries caught up with Pedroia over the latter half of his career, as the "Laser Show" was able to play in more than 135 games just once after the 2014 season.

Pedroia featured in just nine games for the Red Sox in 2018-19 and went 3-31 in his final appearances of his career.

He retires as a 4-time All-Star with four Gold Gloves, a Rookie of the Year Award, an MVP Award and two World Series Championships to his credit. The final numbers for his career: .299, 140 homers, 725 RBI, 1805 hits.

The move saves the Red Sox $12-million in salary for the upcoming 2021 season.