With J.D. Martinez bringing his power show to the Red Sox, let's revisit his wild four-homer night
Quick: Which ballplayer had the most recent four-homer game? If you guessed anybody other than
On Monday, J.D. (or "Just Dingahs," as he's now known) agreed with the Red Sox on a five-year, $110 million deal that will bring his potent bat to Fenway Park for the foreseeable future. And by "potent bat," we're of course referring to the one that struck four round-trippers in a single Southern California night last September. Having only totaled 168 homers as a team in 2017 (last in the AL), Boston will be leaning on Martinez for a power boost in the upcoming year and beyond.
That absurd evening of offensive excellence more or less defined Martinez's few months with the D-backs, who acquired him in July from the Tigers. In just 62 games, Martinez hit 29 homers. His cumulative .690 SLG% was the highest for any player with at least 450 plate appearances in a season since Barry Bonds back in 2004.
With that one game serving as an effective snapshot of his '17 campaign, here's a look back on that fateful night in Hollywood, one that put Martinez's all-fields power on full display.
Homer No. 1: Fourth inning, left-center field, 2-2 count
Putting a good swing on an offering from lefty
Homer No. 2: Seventh inning, right field, 3-1 count
Facing righty
Homer No. 3: Eighth inning, center field, 2-0 count
They say 2-0 counts are a dream for a hitter, who can focus on a specific location and/or pitch and strike accordingly. Facing
Homer No. 4: Ninth inning, left field, 1-0 count
Needing just one more homer for that vaunted four-homer game, Martinez faced
His quest of peppering the bleachers throughout the Dodger Stadium outfield was complete.
And if you'd prefer to see the quartet of dingers in back-to-back-to-back-to-back fashion, here's that in a tidy package:
In essence, that night summed up Martinez's summer with the D-backs and his 2017 season in general, so Red Sox fans: Have fun.