The Boston Red Sox blew out the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, and David Ortiz reached yet another home run milestone in the process.
Ortiz’s solo shot in the second inning of Boston’s 10-1 win was the 501st of his illustrious career and his 35th this season, making him the first player in Red Sox history to club 35 home runs in six different seasons.
In addition to the team milestone, Ortiz — wearing specially designed spikes that commemorated his 500th homer — also became just the fourth player in major league history to have a 35-home run season at age 39 or later. Barry Bonds, Steve Finley and Hark Aaron are the others.
Some additional notes from Wednesday’s slugfest:
— Ten runs in a game is a headline-grabbing number, but the real story was the work of rookie Red Sox starter Henry Owens, who stymied the Orioles for 7 2/3 innings in the best effort of his young career.
“On a night like tonight, those are tough times for young pitchers to pitch,” acting manager Torey Lovullo told reporters after the game, as aired on “Red Sox Extra Innings LIVE.” “They get distracted by the score, distracted by the silliness that starts to take place in the dugout. But I can remember turning around several times and seeing him very focused, ready to go out and throw up another zero.”
The 23-year-old left-hander scattered six hits — all singles — did not walk a batter for the first time in eight major league starts and allowed just three runners to reach second base. The lengthy start also provided some relief for Boston’s bullpen, which was forced to work overtime Tuesday after starter Joe Kelly lasted just 2 1/3 innings.
“It was a great outing, and we needed it,” Lovullo told reporters. “We had our backs up against the wall because of the long outing for the bullpen (Tuesday), and he gave us everything and then some. No walks, just controlled every inning. Unfortunately, he just ran out of pitches. We wanted to if we could get him through the eighth inning, but he gave us a chance to jump ahead, didn’t get distracted by the score. Great outing.”
— Some of the aforementioned dugout silliness took place in the very first inning, as Owens had to conduct a frantic search for his glove before taking the mound for the first time.
— Dustin Pedroia went yard in his second at-bat and again in his third — his first multiple-home run game since May 27. The second baseman’s five RBIs also represented a season high.
“I got some good pitches to hit and hit them,” Pedroia told NESN sideline reporter Guerin Austin after the game. “It was nice to get out to an early lead and let Henry do his thing. It was a good win for us.”
— The Red Sox and Blue Jays will open a three-game set Friday in Toronto, and they also will square off in a pair of exhibition games next spring in Montreal, according to multiple reporters in Baltimore. An official announcement reportedly is set for Friday.
— Red Sox manager John Farrell underwent his second of three rounds of chemotherapy Wednesday as he continues his fight with lymphoma.
Thumbnail photo via Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports Images
