Mookie Betts sure made magic happen Thursday night at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox right fielder drove in five runs for Boston, including a go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning in the 6-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The grand slam came on the 13th pitch of Betts’ at-bat when he crushed a 3-2 fastball from Jays starter J.A. Happ that went well over the Green Monster.
“It was amazing,” Betts told NESN’s Jahmai Webster after the game, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “That may be the happiest I’ve been in baseball.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said his right fielder put together a “nice at-bat” against Happ.
“You expect good things when he’s at the plate,” the skipper said after the game, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “As soon as he hit the ball, (Fenway Park) went crazy.”
The grand slam was the fourth of the 25-year-old’s career. He leads Major League Baseball with a 1.123 OPS — the best by a Red Sox player before the All-Star break since Ted Williams in 1950, per StatMuse.
Here are some other notes from Thursday’s Red Sox-Blue Jays game:
— With the win Thursday night, the Red Sox now sit at 66-29 on the season.
The win marks the most victories by a team before the All-Star break. The Baltimore Orioles previously held the record when they won 65 games before the Midsummer Classic back in 1969.
“I think the city is starting to like this team,” Cora said. “It’s a likable group. They play hard. They show up every day.”
— Steve Pearce was hit in the shin by a pitch in the first inning Thursday night.
The first baseman stayed in the game initially, but was pulled in the third. Cora said after the game they’ll see where Pearce is Friday before determining if he will play.
“He wants to play,” Cora said. “But we gotta be careful.”
— David Price picked up his 10th win of the season. The southpaw turned in a quality start, giving up three earned runs while striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings.
“More changeups, more curveballs … David was outstanding,” Cora said.
— Boston is the only team who has four pitchers with at least 10 wins. Price joins Chris Sale, Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez with his victory Thursday night.
— This is the second time this season Boston has won 10-straight games. Between the offense and defense, the team is red hot on all cylinders.
“Everybody’s excited,” Betts said after the game. “Everyone’s coming in ready to play (and) focusing on the task at hand.”
