Woodland native Dustin Pedroia is set to be part of the 10th class enshrined into the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame, joining four other Sacramento area athletes, including Jim Breech, Mike Burton, Stan Hack and Ricky Jordan. The 10th annual induction ceremony is set for Thursday, Feb. 5, at the Golden 1 Center.
“What an honor it is to be inducted into the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame,” Pedroia stated. “Growing up in Woodland, I looked up to so many athletes in the area. It taught me toughness, work ethic, and the values I carried throughout my career and in my life. Looking forward to such a special event.”
Pedroia graduated from Woodland High School in 2001. During his MVP award-winning senior year, he was recognized as the Sacramento Bee’s area player of the year, batting .445 without a single strikeout.
After graduating, he received a scholarship to play baseball for Arizona State University, where, during his three seasons as a Sun Devil, he never hit below .347, posting a career average of .384 and starting all 185 games.
After being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 MLB draft, Pedroia would go on to spend three seasons working his way thorugh the minor league system before his brief debut in 2006.
A yearlater in 2007, he’d go on to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award and his first of two World Series titles with the Red Sox, setting up a fantastic career that included an incredible 2008 where he was named the American League MVP, a Silver Slugger winner, an All-Star, and a Gold Glove Award winner.
During the rest of his fantastic career, Perdoia would earn three other All-Star nods from 2009-2010 and 2013, three other Gold Gloves in 2011, 2013, and 2014, another World Series in 2013, and enshrinement into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2022.
In 2021, Pedroia was honored by the Woodland City Council for his “profound accomplishments and inspiring example of commitment to excellence, and the council wished him and his family well in his retirement as a professional baseball player.”
Stan Hack and Ricky Jordan are also multiple-time MLB All-Star selections, while Mike Burton is an Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer, and Jim Breech is an NFL record-setting kicker.
According to a Sacramento Hall of Fame press release, the five inductees will bring the total to 50 superstars inducted. All 50 will be honored during the event.
Sacramento-area sports fans again participated in record numbers, casting their votes during the open voting period last November on the official Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame website. Over 20,000 votes were cast for the 40 athletes who met the set criteria and were on this year’s nominee list, representing 10 different sports.
For tickets or all event information, visit SacSportsHOF.com.
Special Olympics
The event will again feature the induction of a local Special Olympics athlete to be announced in January. The Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame continues to partner with Special Olympics Northern California and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Special Olympics programs.
Over the past seven events, the event has raised more than $40,000 for Special Olympics Northern California and included the induction of local athletes Donald Schendel, Douglass Hodges, Deanne Bridges, Patrick Underly, Shawn Lemmon, Rolando Jimenez, Jonathan Sparks and Robert Bodas.