It's not easy to raise your batting average 14 points in the span of three games in late August, but that's exactly what Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has done the last three days.
Starting with his second at-bat in Thursday's loss to the Rays (TB 2, BOS 1), Pedroia went on an 11 for 11 tear that saw his batting average climb from .306 to .320. The consecutive hits streak ended when he grounded into a double play in the eighth inning of Saturday's game (BOS 8, KC 3).
Ten of Pedroia's 11 hits were singles, including one infield single. He also added a double. Here's video of all 11 hits:
The record for consecutive hits is 12, shared by three players: Johnny Kling of he 1902 Cubs, Pinky Higgins of the 1938 Red Sox, and Walt Dropo of the 1952 Tigers. Pedroia told MLB.com's Ian Browne he wasn't even aware of his consecutive hits streak:
"I heard something, but I didn't know what it was," Pedroia said. "I was going to the bathroom, and I heard them say it on TV. I didn't really catch what they were saying."
Pedroia, who turned 33 less than two weeks ago, is one of the reasons the Red Sox have bounced back from two straight last place finishes and are firmly in the postseason picture this year. He dealt with a bunch of injuries from 2014-15 and wasn't quite as productive as we're used to seeing. This year Pedroia has stayed on the field and raked.
