J.D. Martinez is too busy looking ahead to dwell on his latest career milestone.
The Boston Red Sox designated hitter hit the 200th home run of his career Tuesday in the team’s 8-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Afterward, he acknowledged two essential truths about his reaching the 200-homer mark.
“It’s obviously an accomplishment in my career,” Martinez told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “My career is not over yet and I feel like there’s more.”
Nevertheless, Martinez received his home-run ball as a keepsake.
Although Martinez seemingly downplays the significance of his 200th home run, Speier highlighted another notable aspect of the 31-year-old slugger’s milestone.
“Martinez reached that plateau in his 957th game, making him the seventh-fastest active big leaguer to reach 200 homers,” Speier wrote. “Only Giancarlo Stanton, Albert Pujols, Chris Davis, Ryan Braun, Mike Trout, and Khris Davis arrived at the landmark faster.”
While Martinez remains focused on at-bats to come, it’s not a bad thing to stop and appreciate his journey to this point and the esteemed company to which he belongs.
