Nine years ago, the Red Sox were trying to rebound from a disappointing 2006 season where they finished in third place and missed the playoffs. That offseason they signed Daisuke Matsuzaka and had some drama with Jonathan Papelbon since it was planned for him to be a starter, but after showing that he was healthy he ended up being the closer for the team.
Dustin Pedroia was the starting second baseman in Opening Day batting 9th, but he didn’t impress anyone in his first Major League month. Fans wanted Alex Cora to replace him since he was leading the team in batting average with .