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Mookie Betts recalled Dustin Pedroia’s ‘fire’ during time with Red Sox
"He always said he would get ready just in case they started the game early."
Though Mookie Betts was controversially traded by the Red Sox in 2020, he still remembers his time with the team fondly.
The most recent example of this came during an episode of Betts’s podcast, “On Base with Mookie Betts.” Speaking to Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill, Betts noted that Merrill grew up a Red Sox fan.
Merrill explained that he liked watching multiple players from that era, including Xander Bogaerts, Betts, Dustin Pedroia, and David Ortiz. Asked specifically who was his favorite member of the Red Sox in that time, Merrill singled out Pedroia.
“Dustin Pedroia, he was my guy,” said Merrill. “Because he was a little grinder, and I was small in high school, so I kind of related to him.”
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Merrill asked Betts—who overlapped as teammates with the Boston second baseman from 2014-2019—if it was true that Pedroia would put his jersey on hours before the game started.
“He would get going, man,” said Betts. “He’s got fire in him, so yes he would get to the field really early. He wouldn’t put his jersey on that early, but then right after [batting practice], it’s 5 p.m., he’s [uniformed] up, ready to go, walking around.
Betts cited an expression Pedroia liked to use.
“He always said he would get ready just in case they started the game early.”
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Reflecting on the passionate career of the 2008 MVP, Betts marveled at Pedroia’s consistent commitment to the highest standard.
“I don’t remember a day that he didn’t have fire in him, and it was amazing to see.”
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