Boston Red Sox: Top three-home run games
By Sean Penney
Dustin Pedroia
June 24, 2010
Granted this performance came in the thin air of Coors Field, where baseballs are known to fly out of the park with great frequency, but that doesn’t detract from the drama of Pedroia’s heroics.
Pedroia’s first blast came in the fourth inning to tie the game at 1-1. Then in the 8th inning he would give the Red Sox a couple of insurance runs with a two-run shot that pushed the lead to 11-8.
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Unfortunately those insurance runs weren’t enough, as closer Jonathan Papelbon coughed up the lead for the second straight night to send the game to extra-innings. All that meant is that the Red Sox would need the Laser Show to light up again, which Pedroia did in the 10th inning with another two-run homer to win the game 13-11.
Pedroia also added a double and a single in a 5-for-5 masterpiece that saw him drive in 5 runs, leading the Red Sox to their 7th win in 9 games.
The second baseman was in the midst of his third straight All-Star campaign, but he’d never make it on the field for the Mid-Summer Classic. Pedroia broke his foot rounding second base the day after his epic three-homer performance during a game in San Francisco, essentially ending his season on June 25.
The 5’9” Pedroia has never been considered a power hitter, with a career high of 21 home runs in 2011 standing by far as his peak. That makes this performance all the more impressive given the unlikely source. While the conditions in Colorado may have helped, it didn’t make the effort any less exciting.
Next: Nomar Garciaparra