HOT AND COLD AND
HOT AND OUT ...
J.D. Martinez walks off with a Sox win
April 6, 2021
...
What was once a tough
Tuesday night for J.D. Martinez turned into a glorious one. The slugger mashed a
two-run, walk-off double with two outs in the bottom of the 12th to give the
Red Sox a thrilling 6-5
victory.
Martinez had a chance to
end the festivities in the 10th when he just needed a sacrifice fly to drive
in the walk-off run, but he grounded to short.
And in the eighth,
Martinez lost track of how many outs there were and was doubled off to end
the frame on a lineout to deep center by Rafael Devers. In baseball,
however, there so often seems to be a chance for redemption.
Martinez, who has
come out swinging a red-hot bat this season after a 2020 that he’d like
to forget, seized that moment.
The only question
was whether Martinez got enough of the 1-1 pitch from Rays reliever Ryan
Thompson to get it over the head of right fielder Randy Arozarena.
It seemed like
Arozarena took a bit of a circuitous route on the 99.6 mph shot by
Martinez, which had an expected
batting average of .580.
Arozarena
face-planted as the ball soared over him, and the Red Sox mobbed their
walk-off hero between second and third base.
And with that
satisfying ending, Martinez no longer had to beat up himself.
After the
baserunning snafu, Christian Vázquez made Martinez feel better when
he hammered a game-tying homer to lead off the bottom of the ninth. But there
would be more frustration for Martinez in the 10th.
When
automatic baserunner Kiké Hernández advanced to third with one
out on a groundout by Christian Arroyo, Rays manager Kevin Cash
walked Alex Verdugo and put the game in Martinez’s hands.
All the
master of the launch angle needed was a sacrifice fly to end the
game right there. Instead, Martinez ripped a grounder that
shortstop Willy Adames -- who was playing in -- made a nice play
on, and there was no advancement.
The teams
traded runs in the 11th, and the Rays once again scored in the
top of the 12th.
With two on
and two outs, the game came down to Martinez.
And he did
the rest.
The Red Sox trailed 3-1 when
overpowering Rays ace Tyler Glasnow left the game after six
dominant innings.
But they
whittled away and got into a tug-of-war, before finally pulling
through in the end.
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