The Boston Red Sox broke the record for consecutive games with a home run at Fenway Park during their longest homer streak of the season.
The Boston Red Sox haven’t been winning many games lately but it’s not due to the lack of the long ball. This lineup has been racking up home runs in bunches.
Sam Travis blasted a towering shot to center field in the third inning of Monday’s win over the Kansas City Royals, extending Boston’s streak to a season-long 12 consecutive games with a home run.
Accounting only for home games, the Red Sox have hit at least one home run in 18 consecutive games at Fenway Park, the longest streak in the venue’s history. The previous record of 17 had been held since 1969.
The Red Sox have homered in 18 consecutive games at Fenway Park, their longest streak in the venue’s history. The previous record of 17 had been held since 1969 (source: @EliasSports).
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) August 6, 2019
The Sox have homered in 12 straight games overall, their longest streak of the season.
Rafael Devers would add a solo homer in the fifth inning for his 23rd of the season, tying him for 17th in the American League while trailing only Xander Bogaerts (25) and J.D. Martinez (24) on the team.
The solo shot made Devers the first Red Sox hitter with 23+ home runs in a season at age 22 or younger since Tony Conigliaro (28) and George Scott (27) both did so in 1966. With nearly two months left in the season, it’s certainly not out of the question for Devers to make more history by topping Conigliaro’s 28 home runs.
The Red Sox rank only eighth in the majors with 177 home runs this season but their power has seen an uptick in the second half. Boston is second in the majors with 46 home runs since the All-Star break.
Bogaerts leads the team with eight home runs since the break, all of which have come at Fenway Park. 16 of his team-leading 25 home runs have come at home this season.
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The Red Sox don’t have anyone competing for the home run crown. Martinez was second in the league last year and is the only one on the team who has flashed 40+ homer upside but he seems unlikely to come close this season.
What they do have in the power department is depth. Boston can run out a lineup of nine hitters who have tallied 12+ home runs this season. They may not have a 40-homer slugger but they’ll have at least a few who end up with 30+ and the majority of their regular starting lineup will top 20. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew Benintendi are the only regulars who may struggle to get there since they each only have 12 at the moment but they have both proven capable of hitting 20+ homers in a season.
Having players up and down the lineup capable of hitting the ball out of the park instead of a few mashers in the middle of the order has enabled the Red Sox to go on long home run streaks. Hitters inevitably fall into slumps where their power disappears for a stretch but this club always has someone else ready to pick them up.