It’s become a tradition for Brock Holt and J.D. Martinez to greet each other at the end of the dugout after either of the two hits a home run.
The Boston Red Sox teammates began the hugs last year, with Holt waiting with open arms to embrace Martinez. The utility man was quite busy last year after Martinez clubbed 43 long balls. And while Holt hasn’t been as busy this year to date as he was last year, there’s been plenty of hugs to go around over Boston’s last three games.
Martinez has cranked four home runs, including three against the Baltimore Orioles in Boston’s last two games while Holt clubbed his first home run of the season. And after the designated hitter’s bomb Saturday, Holt was ready for yet another hug.
But has it become a challenge to be prepared when a home run is hit?
“No, I’m prepared every time he comes up (to bat),” Holt told NESN’s Guerin Austin after the Red Sox’s 7-2 win over Baltimore. “I wanna hug him every single time he gets an at-bat. Yesterday we broke a record with three hugs — me once, him twice — and then we got him again today. It’s something fun that we started last year and it kinda gets us going in the dugout and offensively.”
Holt and Martinez hopefully will be able to continue the tradition when the Red Sox look to sweep the Orioles on Sunday afternoon at Camden Yards.
