Dustin Pedroia is a four-time AL Gold Glove Award winner at second base, and on Monday, he showcased exactly why.
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In the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers, Carlos Gomez stepped up to the plate and hit a dribbler to third base. Third baseman Deven Marrero awkwardly dug the ball and made an awkward throw to first baseman Sam Travis. As the ball sailed past him, Pedroia sprung into action, catching the ball off the bounce of the stands and gracefully lobbing the ball to first base to catch Gomez over extended past the bag.
It’s incredible defensive awareness of Pedroia to not only make the quick play off the wall but to gun down Gomez who surely thought he would be able to swipe an extra bag with the wild throw.
Pedroia’s incredible play turned out to be key to preserving the knotted up score, as the Red Sox would beat the Rangers in the 11th inning thanks to an Andrew Benintendi two-run single. Ultimately, Benintendi’s marker will be considered the play that won the Red Sox the game, but Pedroia’s smooth grab and throw is unquestionably the play that prevented the Red Sox from losing. Not bad stuff from the 33-year-old.
