Myron Hosea

Special to The Greenville News

In 2006, Dustin Pedroia made his debut with the Boston Red Sox as a 22-year-old second baseman. Fluor Field opened, providing a well-respected home field for the Greenville Drive and helping spark growth along the city's West End. And Triston Casas was a 6-year-old, perhaps beginning to dream of being a baseball player.

All of those elements came together Thursday in a record-setting night as Pedroia started at second base in the 2019 season opener at Fluor Field alongside 19-year-old Drive first baseman Triston Casas, one of the top prospects in the Red Sox's minor league system.

Those two players and the rest of the Drive played in front of 7,551 fans, setting a record for any baseball game ever played at Fluor Field.

Pedroia, Boston’s all-star second baseman, has joined the Drive for their first four games. He is expected to play in three of those games on a rehab assignment, what he called the last step in coming back from a two-year battle with a knee injury.

“It was fun,” Pedroia said. “This is a great atmosphere here. I mean these guys are lucky. The stadium is unbelievable. The fans are great. The playing surface is awesome. You couldn’t ask for more out of a minor league affiliate. This is a pretty special place for these guys, so it was a great experience to be out there.”

He played nine innings – West Virginia beat the Drive 1-0 in 10 innings – and was involved in plays that helped demonstrate the depth of his recovery.

“There’s a certain amount of innings that they wanted me to get to and make sure my knee responds well to it,” said Pedroia. “That’s what we’re doing, and everything’s worked out great so far.

“It felt good. Another step in the right direction. Almost there.”

If all does go well, Pedroia would be in position to rejoin the Red Sox in Boston onTuesday for their home opener.

“That would mean a lot," Pedroia said. "That would be pretty cool.”

Greenville kicked off Opening Night with some pyrotechnics as each member of the Drive starting lineup was announced. The Opening Night energy and Thursday game night activities combined with Pedroia’s presence to create a festive atmosphere in the full house.

Pedroia delivered with a single in the fourth inning, a double in the eighth and defensive plays that included turning a 6-4-3 double play in the fifth. He finished 2-for-3 at the plate and drew a walk.

Most of the Drive players weren’t strangers to Pedroia. He saw many of them and played in at least one game with them during spring training and extended spring training in Florida in March. As a 13-year veteran who came up through college and the minors, Pedroia is in a position to share plenty of wisdom about the game with the Drive players.

“Baseball’s crazy," Pedroia said before the game. "You can get hot and look up and you’re in the big leagues in a year. Doesn’t matter what level you’re at. At this level, obviously, they’re finding routines – what makes them good and how to be able to be consistent.

“And they’re on their own, and they don’t have a coach yelling at them telling them what to do. You’ve got to act professional and stuff like that. They’re pretty mentally tough for where they’re at.”

Drive manager Iggy Suarez said Pedroia will have influence on the players just by how he approaches the game.

“I think just the way he goes about his business, the way he’s preparing,” Suarez said. “Just being able to prepare like a big-leaguer and to see what he goes through throughout the day. I think that’s what guys are going to take away from that. To show that they’re right there with him. We’re telling them the same thing that Pedroia is doing.”

The previous Fluor Field record for attendance was 7,460, set during a game between college rivals Clemson and South Carolina on March 4, 2017. The previous record for a Drive game was 7,415, set June 15, 2017, during a game against the Columbia Fireflies when former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow played for the visitors.

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