Dustin Pedroia Retirement Pregame Ceremony | Boston Red Sox

boston is a unique place [Applause] rich in history steeped in tradition and filled with people who are one of a kind here in boston we have heart we wake up each day ready to work harder than the competition and we want to win more than anyone else so in 2004 when dustin pedroia was selected in the second round of the draft we knew we got someone just like us and boy did he prove us right because perhaps no red sox player has played with more grit more hustle more determination and more heart than dusting the door and just like everyone in our city the city he adopted as his own he carried a chip on his shoulder a chip that led the red sox to a few more world series rings a chip that won him the rookie of the year the mvp and four gold gloves and that same ship well that earned him the respect of our city it earned him the right to call boston his own so to us it's clear dustin is boston every red sox fan knows that 2004 was a very good year winning the world series was what everyone hoped for during that magical season but we all knew that winning just once was not going to be enough to be the team that we hoped to be to be the team that you the fans wanted us to be that would require winning again and again and again the red sox way so perhaps the greatest impact in 2004 to the future success was made that june in a conference room in the basement of fenway park when then head of scouting jason macleod made the announcement that the red sox were selecting dustin pedroia in the second round boston selects player id one one two two pedroia dustin shortstop from arizona state university when we drafted dustin we had expectations we expected him to play with harley we expected him to wear the uniform with pride we expected him to play the game the right way and we expected him to leave it all on the field every night but what we got was unimaginable a rookie of the year an mvp and a world series champion and that was just his first two full seasons of playing in boston so tonight we honor the man that gave us everything we ever asked for and more than we ever expected dustin pedroia [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] before we hear from you dustin we want to welcome a few more special guests along the way there were veterans who became mentors and teammates who became friends and some of them are here to celebrate you and all you have accomplished in the game please welcome the knuckleball pitcher you played behind for two of your four gold glove seasons the fellow infielder you celebrated your first championship with and an outfielder you played against in college but teamed with for your first two rings tim wakefield mike lowell and jacoby ellsbury and we have a few more friends who could not be here with us tonight who wanted to recognize you from afar from the minute he got there was so special he treated the game with so much respect and he played the game with every ounce of energy he had it's i don't think it should be any surprise that some of his best plays he ever made they were with the game on the line that was just the kind of guy he was he he he could raise the level of his game at the most opportune times and just he was so special and and it wasn't all it was every day it wasn't every once a while it was every single day the impact that you've had on baseball itself you know you you blurred the lines of what it meant to be a prospect and it made it more important just to be a ball player what you did on the field i know the city of boston loves you they had to you know you represented every hard-working guy that just gets it done when you got it done on a level like no one could imagine i once said if you had 25 dustin pedroia's you would win every day the ultimate gamer from the first pitch to the last pitch a huge heart a true dirt dog turned yourself into an mvp and a world champion great player but even better person the awards the mvp the rookie of the year the all-stars and a handful of world series rings the stats go without saying but what he meant to the clubhouse the organization and at times the city of boston probably can never be replaced this guy eats breeds sleeps boston red sox baseball he's a winner through and through he impacts the community the team the coaching staff the energy on the field he's all business all the time and all he thinks about is winning one other friend you affectionately called big pun and who called you peewee also couldn't join us in person tonight hey man uh people what's happening kid uh i would like to say so many things and uh i wish i could be there with y'all especially with you um i got a surgery a couple of days ago and uh i got arrested at home but uh we love to be more than happy to uh make this video and um just to let you know man that uh if they're one teammate that i would pick uh to play the rest of my career with that would have been you bro it would have been you you uh you bring it every time every day you bring something to the table you know when i first started playing baseball all i heard people talk about was big guys big guys big guys oh you got to be big for this you got to be big for that with you i learned one thing it's not about sizes it's about hard man and you got a big one and as a teammate as a fan i don't think you can ask a player for more than what you give us you give everything you left everything on that field every day i always say this if there's one player that i would pay for to watch playing i would be you because you know what though you play with no fear you play with you hard and you know what and you teach the big guy that little guy can look huge on that field and that's all the matter congratulations on your retirement bro i love you i always gonna be here for you say hi to kelly and the kids and you know man remember it's not about size it's about heart love your kid dustin we all know what you meant to red sox fans everywhere when you ran out to second base every night but we would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge your impact off the field because off the field to young people you are larger than life it is your i can do anything i can beat anything attitude that has inspired so many young people especially children dealing with so much more than anyone should be asked to bear you have made an indelible impact on so many tonight we have invited a few people who want to show their thanks and gratitude for the comfort and inspiration you have provided please welcome from the jimmy fund director of patient and family programs lisa sherber and tina tepper the mother of your friend leah tepper who bravely fought adrenal cancer until she passed away in two thousand twelve you met our next guest when he was just 12 years old and had already undergone multiple heart surgeries and you granted his wish to be a red sox for a day now a happy and healthy 19 year old from montgomery texas please welcome jase andrews but you didn't stop there together with kelly your commitment to the men and women of our armed forces was always on full display whether it was hosting military families at the game through your pedroia platoon or supporting military spouses you both always went the extra mile representing all of the military families you and kelly helped over the years are molly alish and her five-year-old son lj who was a newborn when you hosted a baby shower for military spouses whose husbands were deployed and we all know how close the band of bearded brothers were in 2013 but tonight we want to shine a light on just how much you meant to so many people that year because perhaps your finest moment was when you led the 2013 red sox on private visits to local hospitals with the goal of providing comfort to those impacted by the 2013 marathon and even more don't realize that once again you and kelly became lifelong friends with two survivors here tonight to thank you for your friendship and support please welcome back patrick downes and jessica kensky and we have another special guest here to sing our national anthem this now young woman first performed here as a child before game two of the 2013 alcs she is singing tonight in honor of her brother martin who we see on the video board in a picture taken one week before the 2013 boston marathon please welcome jane richards by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight or the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glass the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh say does that star [Applause] [Music] the spangled of the breeze [Applause] thank you [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] is [Music] [Applause] and now that we are all together please allow us to thank you for all of your contributions to the red sox and to the city of boston first we want to be sure that while you're sitting at home teaching dylan cole and brooks how to hit lasers you have a few mementos from your beloved fenway park surrounding you presenting you with a set of wooden grandstand seats and a green monster plate bearing your name our chief baseball officer heim bloom general manager brian o'halloran and assistant general managers raquel ferreira and eddie romero and we have heard that when you are not coaching your sons in the game you love you are spending time traveling or enjoying a new hobby so we have combined the two in our next expression of gratitude we welcome red sox president and ceo sam kennedy as he presents you with these new pxg black finish gen 4 clubs and hope that you carry them with pride on an all expenses paid trip to england ireland and scotland [Applause] everyone knows how much respect you have for the military and the sacrifices they and their families make for our way of life which is why our partners and friends at new balance are making a twenty thousand dollar donation to hope for the warriors on your behalf to provide footwear to military families and why we at the red sox want to ensure that your legacy of support for our military stands in boston for years to come so principal owner john henry red sox foundation board member and red sox partner linda pazuti henry and chairman tom werner are donating 100 thousand dollars to the home base program for the creation of the dustin pedroia lab and one final announcement that we are honored to make normally our retired alumni have to endure a three-year waiting period and a vote before being eligible for election to the red sox hall of fame because of your unquestionable talent devotion and contributions to the success of this team this organization and this community we are waving that delay and would like to announce your induction to the red sox hall of fame class of 2022. here to welcome and congratulate you our red sox hall of famers pedro martinez and louis tian and cheering you on from the booth is fellow second baseman and red sox hall of famer jerry remy hurry up louie wow um first off that was i didn't know what to expect that was unbelievable um first off i want to thank john henry and all the owners for for making me a red sock my whole career that's it meant the world to me um to sam thank you for everything the all the ownership group the front office you have to understand i've been here since 2004 i got drafted so 17 years and yeah and i wish i could bring everybody from 2004 to now and and bring them up there with me because it was a team effort every single person in the front office player everybody in the clubhouse everybody to accomplish your goals and i love them all and and it's truly the world to me to be a red sox to my teammates to my teammates that's why i played it's the nothing like a team sport winning together and accomplishing your goals you go through 162 games and and playoffs and fight and fight through injury and you do it for one goal so every single teammate that i played played with i learned from you we went to went through a lot together especially dealing with me so thank you for that to my managers thanks for putting up with me and thanks for putting me in the lineup every day that was uh i like it obviously it didn't end the way i wanted it to um kind of one play derailed what was going to be something really special and to get through that i mean i obviously i love baseball more than anything i relied on the people that have loved me my whole life my wife my parents my three boys right here um you guys got me through real tough times um but i made it i made it out and i just want to thank most importantly the fans all over the world because boston red sox and red sox nation is everywhere and you guys made me and my teammates show up to work every day and and play with a passion and play to win and respect the game and hopefully i was a small part of doing it the right way and i just appreciate everybody and what they've done for me thank you guys so much thank you dustin and now we invite you to step to the pitchers mound to deliver a ceremonial first pitch to your teammate turned manager alex cora [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] dustin we have one more surprise for you we all remember how excited you were in 2011 when the nature boy himself visited fenway and presented you with a championship belt in the clubhouse so we thought it was only fitting that we invite one of your all-time favorite athletes and entertainers back to fenway to celebrate you tonight ric flair [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we now invite rick to join dustin's sons dylan cole and brooks to say the two words we all love to hear play ball [Applause]

Channel: Boston Red Sox

Views: 113,499

Rating: 4.9284115 out of 5

Keywords: boston red sox, red sox, dustin pedroia, dustin pedroia retirement, pedro martinez, dustin pedroia retirement ceremony, david ortiz, ric flair, pedroia, red sox pedroia, red sox hall of fame

Id: WCD4QP2xhZU

Length: 26min 31sec (1591 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 25 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/SewerRat57]

For those who missed it or just want to see it again. What an entrance!

[u/Flunky_Junky_Monkey]

Thy ceremony was amazing. I will give the Sox credit they usually knock these out of the park. I smiled, laughed and cried. It brought back a lot of great memories.

[u/B0ndzai]

So I was watching it at a bar. Why was Ric Flair there?

[u/stronghammer717]

Thanks for sharing I was sad I missed it live!

[u/loganoltz]

Thank you so much for posting this!

[u/t-bass]

I’m not crying, you’re crying

[u/ct1m]

I missed this last night and just watched and I was borderline ready to cry. A true dirt dog. Loved watching Pedey play

[u/skoobalaca]

"I love everyone, except Manny Machado."