Baseball gods smile down on J.D. in season finale

BOSTON -- J.D. Martinez, playing what could have been his final game of a memorable five years with the Red Sox, didn’t mind praying to the baseball gods for a satisfying ending to what has been one of his toughest seasons.

After he smashed two homers on a day when he looked like vintage J.D. Martinez, the designated hitter felt like his prayers had been answered as he led Boston to a 6-3 victory over the Rays on Wednesday afternoon at Fenway Park.

In his first at-bat, Martinez rocketed a three-run homer into the bullpen in right-center. While such shots were once routine, this marked just the second time the slugger went oppo at Fenway all season.

In his second at-bat, Martinez went pull side, mashing a 107.2 mph laser beam deep (Statcast-projected distance of 406 feet) into the Monster Seats. It was first multihomer game since April 30, 2021, but the 18th of his career.

“It was awesome. It was fun. I was kind of joking around before the game, like I need some [Albert] Pujols magic now,” Martinez said. “Last game of the year, try to end with a bang. I guess the baseball gods heard me.”

Perhaps in the same way they heard Xander Bogaerts when he belted a grand slam into the pouring rain on Tuesday.

When it comes to how the offseason will shake out, there is great uncertainty with the Red Sox.

Bogaerts, the team leader, has an opt-out clause that he is all but certain to exercise so he can get paid on the same scale as the other top shortstops in the game.

Martinez is a free agent, and it’s easy to see a path where he and the Red Sox amicably part ways after a mostly productive five-year run that was beneficial for both sides.

This is why Red Sox manager Alex Cora took Bogaerts out after he went out to take his position at shortstop to start the top of the seventh. The Fenway fans roared as Bogaerts came off the field. Rafael Devers was on the top step to hug his close friend. The rest of the players soon followed.

“It felt good,” said Bogaerts. “It just felt a little weird, because I'm still here. But I know. I get it, this situation that I'm in with my contract and stuff like that. So it actually was nice to get something like that done for me on a personal level. So I'm very appreciative of Alex for doing something like that for me, and obviously for J.D. also.”

Given that Martinez had already done plenty of damage on the day, Cora let him walk to the plate in the bottom of the eighth. Then he sent Connor Wong to pinch-hit for him. The crowd at Fenway, already charged up for a tribute for retiring broadcaster Dennis Eckersley and the exit by Bogaerts, got up on their feet again.

Bogaerts and Martinez have been centerpieces of a team that won the World Series in 2018 and were two games from getting back to the Fall Classic last year, so Cora wanted to do right by them. Nathan Eovaldi, another key piece from those teams, is also a free agent.

“Those guys mean a lot,” said Cora. “The only one I missed [getting an ovation for] was Nate because he pitched a [rain-shortened] complete game [Tuesday]. Everybody is happy. It’s something I set out to do yesterday, like, these guys mean a lot to us, mean a lot to the community, mean a lot to Red Sox Nation. They’ve done amazing things.”

It seems more likely that Bogaerts will be back than Martinez, but you can never predict free agency.

“I mean, you would hope not,” said Bogaerts, when asked if this could have been his last game for Boston. “This is all I know. I’m very thankful for everyone that has helped me be the player that I am today. The Red Sox have obviously given me the opportunity to make my big league debut, giving me my extension. They blessed me and my family in that aspect also. I’m very thankful to the front office and ownership. They’ve also blessed me with really good teammates throughout my years. But, I mean, just the business part of it, I’ve never pretty much been in this situation before. So we'll see what happens.”

Martinez has much more experience with the business of baseball. Last time, it brought him to Boston. And he stayed here through the length of a five-year contract despite having opt-out clauses after years two, three and four. This time, that business could mean he winds up elsewhere.

“It was one of those things where, five years, you blink an eye and five years comes and goes,” Martinez said. “A lot of great memories here. Boston didn’t disappoint. Like I said earlier, five years ago when I came here, I knew that this was an amazing organization, and it surpassed my expectations.”