J.D. Martinez broke out of his hitting slump in the first inning of Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Indians, getting on board with a single to end an 0-for-20 streak that spanned parts of five games. But he didn’t stop there.
Martinez went 3-for-5 with two runs — and singlehandedly gave the Boston Red Sox a 5-3 victory over the Indians by launching a three-run home run in the top of the 10th inning. And while his bomb in extras changed the game, he said postgame that he wasn’t trying to do anything special.
“I went up there, chased the first pitch, then I just kind of just told myself to just relax, do what I always do and look for the ball up, just try to put the ball in the air and get the run in, really,” Martinez said.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged that Martinez was seeing more time in the outfield than he might be used to, having appeared in just six games on the grass during the 2020 season. Martinez started his last two games in the outfield (bringing his total to 29 appearances in the outfield in 2021) before he was given the day off on Friday.
On Saturday, he had returned to his usual spot as designated hitter — and picked up right where he left off at the plate.
“He’s been grinding,” Cora said after the win. “It hasn’t been easy. Obviously we push him hard to do certain things that he hasn’t done in a while, playing defense the whole week. It’s not easy for him. He has a routine. Obviously when he came here in ’18 the previous year, he played a lot of outfield but the last few years he’s been strictly DH. He loves playing the outfield but sometimes it takes a toll on him.
“But at the same time, he’s a guy that I trust, that we trust, that we know he’s going to grind regardless of where he’s at at the plate or physically and that’s why we love him.”
The Red Sox offense has had an up-and-down run lately, and Martinez has had a similar experience personally throughout the month of August. But if he’s able to turn this outing into a newfound hot streak, he knows it could have a major reward for the Red Sox.
“If I get hot, it would be nice for us going into this last month of the season,” Martinez said. “It would definitely help us.”
Here are more notes from Saturday’s Red Sox-Indians game:
— Jarren Duran struck out in his first at-bat Saturday — but not before he took a ball to the head on a routine throw from Indians catcher Austin Hedges.
— Hirokazu Sawamura worked his way out of a jam when he came in for an inning of relief in the seventh. Despite loading the bases and then coming one pitch away from walking in the go-ahead run, he kept the 2-2 tie in tact. But it was far from his best performance — Sawamura threw just nine strikes on 23 pitches.
— Even though it was just against one batter, Garrett Richards continued his impressive run as a relief pitcher. He came in to finish the eighth inning and recorded a flyout to keep things tied at 2. The former starter is credited with just one earned run in 10 1/3 innings after working a 5.22 ERA in 22 starts.
— The Red Sox are pretty shorthanded at the moment, and not all of the losses are related to physical injuries. With Kiké Hernández testing positive for COVID-19, Christian Arroyo deemed a close contact and Hunter Renfroe on the bereavement list, the Red Sox have had to get crafty.
Cora said pregame there is no timeline for any of them to return.
— The series finale is Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET on NESN. The Red Sox will turn to Tanner Houck (0-3, 3.43 ERA) on the hill, while Cleveland is going with Eli Morgan (2-6, 5.98 ERA).
