Projo Sox Blog

Dustin Pedroia went through something far worse Monday than a three-error game, or a four-strikeout night. He had to sit by panicked while his wife Kelli, seven months pregnant with the couple's first child, went into early labor.

The doctors were able to halt the labor, and she was doing well last night.

"She's good. She's a lot tougher than I am, I'll tell you that. But she'll be alright," Pedroia said.

The MVP was back in the lineup tonight, but said the experience was difficult, as is knowing that his wife will be in the hospital a while.

"It was tough. This is our first child. I didn't really know what to do. I'm learning on the fly. It kind of happened real fast. I'm just glad she's OK and the baby seems to be OK so we'll wait and see. She's probably going to be in there a while but we'll get through it," Pedroia said.

He still isn't sure, medically, what exactly happened with his unborn son.

"They're giving her all this medicine, they gave her some shots to help the baby out so we're trying to keep him in there for as long as possible. He probably wants a Red Bull or something," Pedroia said.

Pedroia was torn between duty and family Monday, not wanting to leave the park. Manager Terry Francona told him to be with his wife, even though there are a few among the fan base who might not agree with the decision.

"He needed to be with Kelli, and she needed him... he needed to not be here last night.
Anybody who's been around him for any length of time knows how bad he wants to play," Francona said.

The manager felt that times like these are an unrecognized, but important, part of his job.

"I guess I feel like my job entails more than putting a hit-and-run on. It's caring about them and their families. I hope they know that. I think they do."

And certainly, Pedroia has earned the leeway when he needs it

"If you think about it, how lucky am I to be the manager of a guy like him? They don't come around too often," Francona said.

Now, Kelli Pedroia's family is here, and she told her husband to come to the ballpark. Francona said he can leave at any time if he needs to.

"My wife told me to come back here and play the game so I came back here. I kind of do what I'm told. Tito said, hey, you've got to get out of here, man. You have to take care of your family. I headed back there and stayed the night. It's good I'm small. I slept in some little bed in there. Hopefully she'll be alright," Pedroia said.

He played a nervous second base tonight, thinking about his wife constantly.
"I'll be alright. Obviously I'm thinking about her, calling every five minutes but I'll be alright," Pedroia said.

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