Here’s how the Red Sox registered 10 consecutive hits in the 3rd inning Saturday
They all came with two outs, and Boston turned a 1-0 deficit into a 9-1 lead.
Through 2 2/3 innings Saturday, not a single Red Sox batter had reached base.
By the end of the third inning, the Red Sox had nine runs after registering 10 consecutive hits. An 11th batter walked, and Boston turned a 1-0 deficit into a commanding 9-1 lead.
“We had more excitement in that inning than all year,” NESN announcer Dennis Eckersley said. “For one inning, you can’t match this. It’s unmatchable.”
The crazy part, however, is that it’s not an all-time record. In fact, just last year, the Red Sox pieced together 12 hits in an inning against the Florida Marlins. Their record for overall hits in an inning, according to NESN’s broadcast, is 14 in 1953 against the Detroit Tigers. They also ended up one shy of the major league record of 11 straight hits, set by the Colorado Rockets in 2010.
On Saturday, Christian Vazquez and Andrew Benintendi started the action with singles to center and both trotted home on a double from Mookie Betts that ricocheted off the left-field wall.
J.D. Martinez plated Betts with a double to left-center, then Xander Bogaerts and Michael Chavis homered back-to-back. Rafael Devers doubled to right, Steve Pearce drove him in with a single, and Eduardo Nuñez crushed a home run to left-center.
Couldn’t fit all of the 3rd inning home runs into one video.
So here’s Bogie and Chavis going back-to-back. Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/ukibO0ZFtm— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 5, 2019
Vazquez singled again, then Benintendi walked before Betts finally flied out to right. Remarkably, all 10 hits came against the same pitcher, Manny Banuelos, who had a 2.70 ERA before this outing. His ERA is now 5.96.
Carson Fulmer came on to face Benintendi and retire Betts, but he didn’t have much more luck the next inning, as the Red Sox scored five more to extend the margin to 14-1.
