BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
Will Middlebrooks 3HRs leads
the Sox in a 13-0  thumping

April 7, 2013 ... Before the Red Sox cleared customs and headed home for Monday's Fenway Park opener, Will Middlebrooks put on a Sunday afternoon power display that won't soon be forgotten.  The right-handed slugger belted three homers as part of a 4-for-5 performance, as Boston connected for six in a 13-0 rout of the Blue Jays in the finale of a three-game series at Rogers Centre.  Middlebrooks lofted a two-run, opposite-field shot to right as part of a five-run first-inning against Jays ace R.A. Dickey. After doubling in his second at-bat, Middlebrooks drilled a two-run homer to left-center in the fifth. That one also came against Dickey.  He hit his third in the seventh, leading off against right-hander Dave Bush. 

There was almost a grand finale in store -- something that would have put Middlebrooks in even more select company. In his final at-bat in the eighth, Middlebrooks smashed one to deep left, and it looked gone off the bat, but Melky Cabrera flagged it down just in front of the wall.  The Boston dugout also thought Middlebrooks was about to make his fourth home-run trot of the day.  The Sox hit six homers, and Daniel Nava, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Napoli were the others to go deep.

The most important thing for Boston was taking two out of three from the Jays to finish their season-opening road trip with a 4-2 mark. By contrast, the 2011 team went 0-6 before opening at Fenway. Last year's team was 1-5.

Not only was it the first three-homer game for Middlebrooks, but it was only the second multi-homer game of his career. The third baseman smashed two against the Royals on May 7, 2012. The 24-year-old Middlebrooks was the youngest Sox player to hit three homers in a game since Jim Rice, who was also 24 when he did it in 1977.  It was the first three-homer game by a Boston player since Dustin Pedroia did it in Colorado on June 24, 2010.  Ellsbury (3-for-6), Pedroia (2-for-4), Napoli (2-for-5, four RBIs) and the red-hot Jose Iglesias (.529 batting average) also had multi-hit games. 

Then there was Lester, who put together a textbook display of what a veteran ace should do with a big lead.  Lester carved up the Jays in a performance that seemed effortless at times, exiting after seven dominant innings -- five hits, no walks, six strikeouts -- with the game well in hand.  A notoriously slow starter for much of his career, Lester has opened this season 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA.

And make no mistake about it. The Red Sox are a confident bunch as they get ready to open their 81-game home slate.

Hall of Famer and Red Sox legend Bobby Doerr turned 95 Sunday. The Red Sox have yet to commit an error.  Pedro Ciriaco was unjustly charged with a throwing error in the ninth inning before the scorer reversed his call.  Will Middlebrooks, at 24, is the youngest Red Sox player to hit three home runs in a game since 24-year-old Jim Rice in 1977.  Daniel Nava started at first base for the first time and played seven seamless innings. He also was 1 for 3 with a home run, a sacrifice fly, and a walk.   Mike Carp became the last Red Sox player to get in a game when he pinch hit in the eighth inning and lined to shortstop .   The Sox were outhomered, 8-2, by the opposition before Sunday. Now it's 8-8.  Sox pitchers have 58 strikeouts and only 15 walks.