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J.D. Martinez joked about almost getting his first inside-the-park home run
"I was like, 'This is it. This is my chance.'"
The Red Sox defeated the Reds 5-3 on Tuesday. A trio of Boston home runs propelled starter Brayan Bello to the second win of his Major League career.
Also on Tuesday, legendary defenseman Zdeno Chara signed a one-day contract with the Bruins shortly before retiring. Afterward, Chara’s former teammates gave him a standing ovation as the future Hall of Famer called time on a remarkable career.
JD Martinez’s inside-the-park home run that wasn’t: During the Red Sox’ win on Tuesday, a rare feat from Boston designated hitter JD Martinez — hitting a triple, which he done only 21 times in his career — almost became an unprecedented moment for the 35-year-old.
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After smashing a high drive off the centerfield wall, Martinez took off running as fast as he could. Cincinnati outfielder Nick Senzel injured himself running into the wall, so the ball rolled away from him.
The result was that as Martinez approached third base, he had a glimmer of hope that he might be sent around toward home by third base coach Carlos Febles.
Unfortunately for Martinez, who has never hit an inside-the-park home run in his career, Febles gave him the stop sign.
“I was going,” Martinez said after the game. “I was like, ‘This is it. This is my chance. If ever I get a chance this is going to be it.’”
“Febles got scared,” Martinez joked. “It’s alright. It happens.”
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Martinez, not known for his speed, saw the humor in the moment.
“I told him, ‘What were you doing dude? You know I got the closing speed at the end,’” he said to Febles.
In reality, Martinez knew that his coach made the correct decision.
“No shot,” Martinez said of what he thought his chances would’ve been to reach home before the throw. “I was gassed by the time I touched third. But whatever. It was funny.”
Martinez added a consolation prize in the fifth inning, belting his 12th home run of the season (which he did via the more straightforward method of simply hitting the ball over the fence).
Trivia: Who was the most recent Red Sox player to hit multiple triples in the same game?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: The 2018 American League MVP.
More from Boston.com:
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- Can Jayson Tatum start the season hot? Plus 9 more questions as Celtics training camp looms
- Robert Williams reportedly will have knee surgery, miss training camp
- ‘It was the right time to step away.’ Here’s what Zdeno Chara said at his retirement press conference.
- Timeline: Looking back at Zdeno Chara’s career with the Bruins
- Vince Wilfork, Logan Mankins among two dozen former Patriots nominated for 2023 Hall of Fame class
- A breakdown of all the rumors about Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen’s ‘epic fight’
- Julian Edelman reflects on the time Kobe Bryant came to speak to the Patriots
- Antonio Brown will reportedly perform as a rapper at Worcester bar
- Matthew Slater: Patriots found physicality against Pittsburgh that needs to be ‘part of our identity’
- David Krejci talked about the moment he ‘started thinking’ about a return to the Bruins
- Reactions from Zdeno Chara’s retirement announcement
Rafael Devers’s 27th home run of the season:
Rangers went the long way to turn a triple play:
On this day: In 1999, Pedro Martinez pitched a three-hit shutout as the Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 3-0.
Martinez, who notched his 22nd win of the season in the process, recorded 12 strikeouts to officially bring his season total to 301. In doing so, Martinez not only eclipsed the previous Red Sox season record (289, set by Roger Clemens), but he also became only the second pitcher (along with Randy Johnson) to notch 300-strikeout seasons in both leagues.
Daily highlight: Middlebury College’s Eujin Chae scored an “Olimpico” goal directly from a corner kick in a 4-1 win over Framingham State on Tuesday.
Trivia answer: Mookie Betts
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