Andrew Luck's sudden retirement announcement on Saturday at the young age of 29 was a shock to many, but Dustin Pedroia understands the former Colts quarterback's decision.
Luck had dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout his career including concussions, a shoulder sprain, lacerated kidney, torn labrum, and most recently a calf strain. He said in his emotional press conference he finally decided the mental toll of injury rehab outweighed his joy of the game, and thus opted to call it a career.
As someone who's suffered his own fair share of injuries over the last couple of years, Pedroia gets where Luck is coming from. The Red Sox second baseman said what he's gone through pales in comparison to Luck, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.
“Shoot, he has been hit a lot more than I have,” Pedroia said. “I’ve been hit once. He has been hit 400 times or something.”
Pedroia has played in only nine games over the last two seasons due to knee injuries. The 36-year-old has undergone multiple knee surgeries, so if anyone can relate when it comes to the hardships of injury rehab, it's him.
“It’s a different sport, man. Every case is different,” Pedroia said. “But going through rehab processes is tough. You get opinions, you hear everything. You’ve just got to put your head down and do it. It kind of wears you out.”
Pedroia remains on crutches after undergoing a joint preservation procedure on his left knee earlier this month. Unlike Luck, the 2008 American League MVP has not yet indicated any desire to hang 'em up.
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