Second baseman Dustin Pedroia, smacking a single to center Tuesday against the Orioles, has become a hitting machine for the Red Sox while providing outstanding play in the field.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

BOSTON — Almost a year ago –– Oct. 16, 2007, to be exact –– Paul Byrd toed the rubber at Jacobs Field as a member of the Cleveland Indians and had the daunting task to beat the Red Sox in Game Four of the ALCS.

The Indians won that game, 7-3, and with it took a 3-1 series advantage. Boston won the next three and advanced to the World Series and beat the Rockies for its second title in four seasons. But it was that night in Cleveland that Byrd, a veteran pitcher, began to appreciate the talent and drive of Red Sox rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

Now the two are teammates since Byrd was acquired in a trade with the Indians last month. Now Byrd has a completely different outlook when he watches Pedroia dazzle game after game after game.

“He plays the game hard,” Byrd said. “He plays the game with a lot of passion. He plays with a lot of energy and it’s absolutely beautiful to see. I hated playing against him and now I love [that] he’s on my team.”

During that ALCS game, Pedroia collected one of the six hits Byrd allowed that night, a single to right. It was during the other at-bats, however, that Byrd thought he had read the wrong scouting report because on everything he threw, Pedroia was able to put the barrel to the ball.

“You roll the dice when you’re pitching to him,” Byrd said. “It was frustrating, so it’s nice to be in the same dugout.

“I didn’t realize he was that good,” added Byrd. “He’s amazing. Another thing he does well, and you kind of take it for granted, is that he plays great defense. I feel like I have two guys at second base. That’s something that’s not always valued today. People value offense, and that’s what the game has changed to. He doesn’t just help you out at the plate; he helps you out on defense. He plays hard. He’s fired up in the dugout. Here’s a guy who only has a year and a half in the big leagues, it’s not like he’s a 10-year veteran, but his presence in the dugout and in the locker room is amazing.”

Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell has become very close with Pedroia, and the veteran remembers exactly the moment when he knew the rookie was going to be a very important player for Boston.

Lowell’s first impression didn’t come during spring training of 2006, because Pedroia was injured very early in the spring and ended up spending most of the season with the PawSox. He was called up to Boston and made his major-league debut Aug. 22 and hit a lowly .191 in 31 games for the rest of the season.

It was during that late-season call-up when Lowell became a fan and a friend of Pedroia.

“I really felt he hit the ball a lot better than .190,” Lowell said. “He lined out a lot and he didn’t look like he was overmatched. I felt he could be a contributing factor. I liked the fact he had good pitch recognition, but I never expected the power that he has when you look at him height-wise. I thought he had a chance to be a good player in the big leagues. I definitely think he has surpassed everyone’s expectations.”

Even when Pedroia struggled mightily during the first month of the 2007 season, Lowell and the rest of the Red Sox showed patience with him because they all knew how good he was going to be.

“It’s his attitude that he expects to be successful,” Lowell said. “It’s almost irrelevant who’s on the mound. That’s an attitude you try to teach people to have, but you either have it or you don’t. He has a God-given talent to barrel up the ball very often. You can be the strongest guy in the world, but if you can’t get the ball on the barrel, you’re not a good hitter. That’s his biggest strength. He can handle all kinds of pitches, and that translates into consistency.”

Pedroia has proven he’s a complete hitter. He can hit for average and he can hit for power, too.

He may be listed at 5-foot-10, but realistically he’s 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds. Not your prototypical cleanup hitter. Still, he’s been hitting in the No. 4 slot in the order.

“He has answered,” said Byrd. “He can hit home runs. The other night with bases loaded, he took a ball that was four inches off the plate, not even a strike, and he hits it the other way over second base for a huge hit. Since I’ve been here he’s done it all. He’s clutch, too.”

The time has quickly arrived for Pedroia that when he steps into the batter’s box, his manager, teammates and the fans expect a hit out of him. If he doesn’t get a hit — and it does happen once in a while — there’s almost a sense of disappointment in a complimentary sort of way.

“He’s just that good,” Byrd said. “This team has gotten on his back a little bit.”

Actually the club has jumped on his back a lot.

He has an AL-best 56 multi-hit games. His 22 three-hit games leads the majors. He has an eight-game hitting streak right now during which he’s hitting .618.

Sure there are other players in the majors who are having MVP-type seasons, too, including the White Sox’ Carlos Quentin and the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton. But as far as the Red Sox are concerned, Pedroia’s their guy.

“For our team he’s been the most valuable,” Lowell said. “There are a lot of guy who are having good years [league-wide] but there aren’t many you can put in front of him. There’s a defensive aspect that makes him superior, too. He plays a complete game.”

After Pedroia won the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year Award, some of his doubters didn’t think he could carry that type of success into his sophomore season. Once again he has squashed any doubts that he has the ability and attitude to be good for a very long time.

“Everybody respects him because he plays really hard,” Byrd said.

jmcdonal@projo.com