J.D. Martinez Ties Red Sox Record For Most Homers Through June
BOSTON (CBS) -- To say that J.D. Martinez's career in Boston has gotten off to a great start would be an understatement.
Martinez has provided some much-needed pop to the heart of Boston's lineup, and now he's one swing away from setting a team record. With his solo homer in the sixth inning of Tuesday night's 9-1 rout of the Angels at Fenway Park, Martinez is up to a league-leading 24 dingers on the season. That clip ties a franchise record for most homers through June, as Martinez is just the fifth Red Sox player to ever launch 24 homers before July hits. He joins a pretty elite group with Ted Williams (1950), Jose Canseco (1996), Mo Vaughn (also in 1996) and Manny Ramirez (2001) in the Boston record books.
With four games remaining in June, there's a pretty good chance Martinez will own the record all to himself before the end of the month. While he always has homers on the mind, the record book hasn't really entered his train of thought.
"I don't get caught up in all that," Martinez told reporters after Tuesday's win. "I'm sorry. I hate to be a buzzkill or anything, but I'm just worried about tomorrow and the next guy we're facing. So that's kind of where I'm at. I kind of think of all this when it's all said and done at the end of the season. So that's kind of where I'm at."
Martinez went 2-for-5 in Boston's win, and his blast was the sixth that has left his bat this month. In addition to his MLB-best 24 round-trippers, Martinez also leads the majors with 61 RBIs on the season.
