Pedroia's legacy: Accolades, heartbreak, and plenty of offbeat moments

Longtime Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia announced his retirement Monday, wrapping an incredible 14-year career that included multiple World Series championships, an American League MVP award, and the reverence of one of the toughest markets in sports.

Throughout his prodigious baseball tenure, "Laser Show" grabbed the spotlight on more than one occasion. He didn't always do it on the field, either.

Here are some of the finest moments from Pedroia's career, which included highlights, heartbreak, and a few accomplishments off the beaten path.

Greatness begins somewhere

Selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 draft, Pedroia didn't take long to make his big-league debut. The native of Woodland, California, played his first MLB game on Aug. 22, 2006 - as a shortstop - against the Los Angeles Angels, collecting a single off left-hander Joe Saunders in his second career at-bat. His first major-league homer came 13 games later - a solo shot off Kansas City Royals pitcher Luke Hudson.

A defining moment

Following a tremendous rookie campaign, Pedroia endured an atrocious start to his postseason career before turning it on in the later rounds of the 2007 playoffs. While his five-RBI performance - which included a home run - in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series was impressive, his leadoff dinger against the Colorado Rockies to set the tone for Game 1 of his first World Series put him in a new light.

Boston won the title that season, with the second baseman later nabbing AL Rookie of the Year honors.

The mantle fills

Pedroia's success didn't stop there. In 2008, the diminutive infielder became the eighth player in AL history to earn MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger awards in the same season after hitting .326/.376/.493 and leading the league in hits, runs, and doubles.

The trademark defense that earned him the first of four Gold Gloves provided several astonishing moments that year, and it continued to do so throughout his career.

Bigger than Rihanna

As Pedroia's on-field stock continued to rise, so did his marketability off it. Who doesn't remember this incredible 2009 commercial for MLB The Show?

If video game commercials weren't enough, Pedroia was at one point considered to be more influential in Boston than Rihanna.

Heart of the team did Boston proud

It's no wonder Pedroia's popularity reached the heights of a best-selling musical artist.

Not only did Pedroia continue to cement himself among the league's best second basemen - he made four All-Star teams with the Red Sox - but the undersized, root-for-me Rudy Ruettiger-type was also a cool dude who had his teammates' backs.

Unwavering pride through so much disappointment

All good things must come to an end.

Though Pedroia certainly deserved better in the final years preceding his retirement, he remained a consummate professional and tried to battle back from knee issues he ultimately couldn't overcome.

Following surgery in 2016 and the Manny Machado sliding incident that likely ended his career, Pedroia barely played. His brief returns in 2018 and 2019 - totaling a combined nine games - showed the injuries were too much. The bulldog didn't give up, though, as he tried time and time again to will his way back onto the field. But heart can only take a man so far.

Why did Pedroia try to endure so much when the writing was on the wall? It was part of who he was.

"I never took one play off from Little League on, and that part means a lot," the 37-year-old said during his retirement press conference. "To be a Red Sox (player), it means everything. Wearing that uniform is the best. At some point, you can't play anymore, and this is the time."