J.D. Martinez picked a great time to end his uncharacteristically long home run drought.
Martinez blasted a two-run round-tripper in the fifth inning of the Yankees-Red Sox series finale Sunday night at Fenway Park. The opposite-field longball leveled the score between the longtime rivals and provided a jolt to Boston, which never looked back after Martinez went yard. The Sox proceeded to score five unanswered runs and earned a series split against the American League East’s top team.
Prior to taking Jameson Taillon deep, Martinez hadn’t put one in the seats since June 14. As such, the veteran slugger returned to a Boston dugout full of smiles after he rounded the bases.
“I’m hitting the ball hard — just doing something in my swing that’s causing me to not get the ball in the air as often as I like,” Martinez told reporters, per The Boston Globe. “All the guys were laughing inside (after the homer) because they know it’s been built up.”
It should be noted Martinez hit three home runs in four games prior to going nearly a month without a dinger. Perhaps we’ll see the four-time All-Star send one over the fence Monday night when the Red Sox kick off a four-game set against the Rays.
NESN’s full coverage of the series opener at Tropicana Field begins at 6 p.m. ET.
