Red Sox: Mookie Betts ties franchise record for home runs by leadoff hitter

Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts tied Dom DiMaggio’s franchise record for home runs out of the leadoff spot while reclaiming the major league HR lead.

Mookie Betts is back on top of the home run leaderboards. Not only did his latest blast give him his major league-leading 12th homer of the season, it also cemented his status in the Boston Red Sox record books.

The star right fielder now has 90 career home runs on his resume, 69 of which have come from the leadoff spot in the order. That ties Dom DiMaggio for the most home runs in Red Sox history as a leadoff hitter.

DiMaggio spent all 11 seasons of his career with the Red Sox, primarily as a leadoff hitter. He played in 1038 games and collected 4358 at-bats from the top spot in the lineup. Betts equaled his home run total in about a third as many games (354) and at-bats (1510) as a leadoff hitter. Betts is still only 25 years old!

The solo shot put the Red Sox on the board in the third inning. Betts crushed a 92.9 mph fastball from Texas Rangers starter Mike Minor, sending it sailing 413 feet into the leftfield bleachers. The ball traveled with a 108.5 mph exit velocity at a 23-degree launch angle. That places it well within Statcast’s Barrel range. Betts leads the majors this season with 21 Barrels and 17.8 Brls/PA, per Baseball Savant.

Betts homered three times against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. That gives him four homers in his last two games. He has 10 home runs over his last 13 games. The only other instance of a Red Sox hitter tallying that many homers over a 13-game span is when Fred Lynn did it between August 5-17, 1979.

The home run category isn’t the only one Betts is dominating this season. He also leads the American League with a .370 average, .850 SLG, 1.299 OPS, and 33 runs scored.

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Betts is also sixth in the league with 25 RBI. That’s impressive for a leadoff hitter, who is guaranteed at least one plate appearance per game with the bases empty. It’s more impressive when you factor in how dismal the bottom of the Red Sox order has been.

Red Sox hitters batting in the 7-9 spots in the order have combined for a .210 average this season. Only 30 of the 118 at-bats Betts has compiled this season have come with runners on base. 112 AL hitters have stepped to the plate with runners on base more often than Betts has. 10 of his 12 home runs this season have come with the bases empty. He hasn’t had many chances to drive in runs but he makes the most of it when he does get the opportunity.

The Red Sox were blown out in the series opener in Texas but the loss was no fault of Betts. He did his part, adding a double to his home run and racking up four RBI.

Next: Red Sox: Three Up, Three Down

The game will rarely be out of reach for Boston when Betts is in the lineup. He’s their best player and arguably the best in baseball.