Monster mash: Trout clubs his 1st Fenway HR

BOSTON -- Mike Trout helped the Angels end their eight-game losing streak with a surprising first, as he connected on his first-ever homer at Fenway Park in a 12-4 win over the Red Sox on Saturday.

Trout unloaded on a two-run homer in the top of the sixth off Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello, clearing the Green Monster in left for his first in Boston in 90 career at-bats. It was also his 39th of the season, tying him with the Brewers' Christian Yelich for the Major League lead. Trout said he was aware he was homer-less at Fenway heading in because a few teammates had teased him about it, including Kole Calhoun.

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"I don’t think about it, I think I get reminded by people," Trout said with a laugh. "Kole, especially. It’s always fun coming back here to play. A lot of history. A lot of baseball has been played here.”

With the homer, which traveled an estimated 428 feet according to Statcast, Trout has now gone deep in all 15 American League parks and 24 of the 30 overall. And while he never had homered at Fenway, he’s still had plenty of success there, batting .344 (31-for-90) with 14 RBIs in 22 career games at the historic venue. Trout also noted he’d hit the Green Monster a few times but had never cleared it.

“I’ve hit a couple off the monster that I probably thought would have been homers but hit the wall,” Trout said. “So it is what it is.”

Trout also heard from manager Brad Ausmus after the homer, as he reminded him that they are now tied in career homers at Fenway Park with one each. Ausmus’ lone homer at the ballpark came while he was with the Tigers on June 1, 1999 off John Wasdin.

"I told him we're tied in home runs at Fenway," Ausmus said with a smile. "I think Trouty's went a lot farther than mine. Mine went into the net before the Green Monster seats. Some guys just have the ability to impact the ball with a lot more force than I ever did. I don't know how to explain it other than physics."

Trout’s homer gave the Angels some breathing room and knocked Porcello from the game after five-plus innings. The offense had gone cold after a three-run homer from Justin Upton in the first, as Porcello had retired 14 batters in a row before Calhoun singled to lead off the sixth.

Porcello went right after Trout with a first-pitch fastball at 89.5 mph over the heart of the plate, and Trout didn’t miss.

“I hit it good,” Trout said. “I was just trying to get a pitch to hit. He pitched me tough my first two at-bats. Just wanted to get a pitch over the middle and got one.”

Porcello, who was charged with five runs over five innings, lamented the location of the pitch.

"Honestly, the worst part about that is that was the best hitter, and that was the worst pitch I threw the entire day,” Porcello said. “And that's what happens."

Trout is now one homer away from becoming only the second Angels player with multiple 40-homer campaigns. Troy Glaus (2000 and 2001) is the only player in franchise history to achieve the feat.

Trout has already matched his homer total from last year and is closing in on his career-high of 41 homers set in 2015. Glaus holds the club record with 47 blasts in 2000, while Trout is currently on pace to hit 54 homers. Trout has also never led the American League in homers but now leads Kansas City’s Jorge Soler by six blasts.

Trout came up in a big spot in the seventh with the bases loaded and nobody out and was hit by a pitch from reliever Hector Velasquez, giving him three RBIs on the afternoon and an AL-leading 92 on the year. It was part of a seven-run seventh for the Angels to put the game away and finally end their losing streak.

“We went through a rough stretch,” Trout said. “It was good to see the offense click on all cylinders and get a W.”