With his three-run home run in the top of the eighth, Ortiz became just the third player in Red Sox history to record six seasons of 30 homers or more for the Red Sox. He joined Ted Williams and Manny Ramirez.
Williams would have undoubtedly had more 30-plus homer seasons if he hadn't missed nearly five full seasons while serving in the military. Despite that, he did have eight 30-homer seasons. They covered a span of 18 years, with his first coming in his rookie season of 1939 and his final one coming in 1957, when he hit 38 at the age of 38.
Ramirez hit 30 homers or more in six of his seven full seasons with the Red Sox. He only fell short in 2007, when he hit 20 in 133 games, and in 2008, when he was traded midseason. He even managed to hit 33 home runs in 2002, when he was limited to just 120 games, and 35 home runs in '06, when he played in just 130 games.
No. 30 for Ortiz came Tuesday night in vintage Ortiz fashion. With the Red Sox trailing 5-4 with two outs in the eighth, Ortiz squared up a 1-0 fastball on the inner half and hit a no-doubt-about-it shot over the right-field fence, giving the Red Sox a 7-5 lead. The homer came off Brandon League in Seattle.
While Ortiz and Ramirez used to be partners in crime, holding down the Nos. 3 and 4 spots in the lineup from 2003-08, the former can pass the latter in Red Sox history with another prolific season of slugging.
