J.D. Martinez has hit enough home runs at this point in the season that surely you’ve seen what happens when the Boston Red Sox slugger returns to the dugout after smacking a dinger.
He goes through the usual routine of high fives, but when he gets down to the end of the bench, Brock Holt is waiting there for him. The two then embrace and jump up and down for a few moments before going about their business.
So what started the unique celebration? It actually was a dream that the Sox utility man had before a May 13 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Holt told MassLive that he dreamt before that game that Martinez hit one of his usual home runs, but he did so wearing a necklace of Holt’s.
“It was a day game in Toronto,” Holt said. “He was like, ‘I have to wear it today.’ So he wore it. And first at-bat he hit a home run. So I hugged him because of that. And so he wore it for like five or six days.”
Now, the hug has become a routine.
“Just kind of (spontaneously) happened,” Holt said. “Every time he hits a home run, I go down to the end of the dugout and wait for him to give us high-fives and give him a big hug and then kind of jump around a bit,” Holt said. “Just something I started doing when we were in Toronto. Just get excited when he hits a home run now. And down there waiting for him whenever he gets there.”
Martinez’s home run total is among the highest in Major League Baseball, and if that keeps up, Holt can expect plenty more hugs this season.
