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Mookie Betts turns into one-man army, beats Orioles all by himself
You'd be hard-pressed to find someone in sports who had a better Tuesday night than Mookie Betts, the Boston Red Sox outfielder who morphed into a one-man gang and beat the Baltimore Orioles all by himself.
The Red Sox beat the O's 6-2 and Betts' night went like this:
• First inning = solo homer to center field
• Second inning = three-run homer to left field
• Top of the seventh inning = solo homer to right field
• Bottom of the seventh inning = fantastic diving catch to end the inning
Betts came up in the ninth with an opportunity to power himself to an elusive four-homer game. That didn't happen. He grounded out to second base, having to *settle* for a 3-for-5 night with five RBIs.
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No leadoff man had achieved a three-homer game since the erstwhile B.J. Upton did it in 2012. Betts, per ESPN, is the seventh player to hit three homers in the leadoff spot during the last 10 seasons and the first Red Sox hitter to ever do it.
The three homers will get the attention, but that catch isn't anything to downplay. Some data, via MLB's Statcast tracking system: Betts reached a top speed of 20.7 mph and covered 76.7 feet.
After the game, Red Sox skipper John Farrell joked that Betts' night was so good that teammate Jackie Bradley Jr. should consider naming his child Mookie. Per Rob Bradford of WEEI:
“The three home runs speak for themselves, one to each part of the ballpark,” said Red Sox manager John Farrell. “He makes an outstanding diving catch off of [Baltimore’s Paul] Janish’s ball that looks like it’s destined for a base-hit. Jackie [Bradley Jr.] leaves us today because of the pending birth of his child, and if he has a boy he ought to name him Mookie after tonight’s outing. Just an impressive night by Mookie.”
Fair point. Maybe a fourth homer would have guaranteed it. Betts was so on point that he even took his postgame drenching like a champ.
Knowing Betts and his crazy set of skills, he probably went out and bowled another 300 game afterward.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
