Pedroia doubling his way into elite company

Dustin Pedroia's seventh-inning double on Tuesday was his ninth of the season; he's now on pace to match last year's total of 54.

In doubling that often last season, the hard-swinging second baseman already has done something that's only been done 83 times in the history of baseball. If he repeat the feat this year, though, that would land him among some pretty big-name talent.

The entire list of players to hit 50 doubles in back-to-back seasons:
1. Tris Speaker, 1920-21*
2. George Burns, 1926-27
3. Billy Herman, 1935-36*
4. Joe Medwick, 1936-37*
5. Edgar Martinez, 1995-96
6. Craig Biggio, 1998-99
7. Todd Helton, 2000-01
8. Albert Pujols, 2003-04
(*denotes Hall of Famer)

That's it. That's the entire list.

(In case you're wondering: Pedroia would have to turn on the jets to break the Red Sox record for doubles in a season -- which, incidentally, happens to be the big-league record as well. Earl Webb doubled 67 times in 1931. Nomar Garciaparra's 56 doubles in 2002 ranks him second in Red Sox history; Pedroia's 54 doubles last season is good for third.)