BALTIMORE – JD Martinez left the COVID-19 roster and hit three rounds from home to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 14-9 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday for six straight wins.
In the ninth inning, Martinez had a chance to equal the record for four rounds at home, but was eliminated. He is the last in the list of the 18 major leagues to hit four rounds at home in a single game, something he achieved in September 2017 with Arizona.
Martinez, 33, returned to the group the day after he was placed on the COVID-19 list for cold symptoms. He passed the tests and was 6-for-4, leading in four runs and scoring four more.
It was the fourth time Martinez had hit four rounds from home in a game. A year after hitting .213 with seven homers in 54 games in the short-lived pandemic season, he hits .472 (36-17) with five homers and 16 RBIs in eight games.
Martinez hit home rounds solo in the third, sixth and eighth halves. The three-time All-Star also had one run.
For the Red Sox, Puerto Ricans Enrique Hernández 5-2, with two goals scored and an RBI; and Christian Vázquez 5-1, with one scored. Mexican Alex Verdugo 5-2, with two marked rounds and three RBIs. Dominicans Rafael Devers 5-2, with two goals scored and five RBI; and Frenchy Cordero 4-1, with a marked run. Venezuelan Marwin González 4-0, with one scored.
For the Orioles, the Dominicans Maikel Franco 4-2, with a marked race and four RBI; and Pedro Severino 3-0. Venezuelans Freddy Galvis 1-1; and Anthony Santander 1-0. Mexican Ramón Urías 1-0, with one scored.