BALTIMORE -- Throw eight sliders to the most lethal hitter in baseball, and you best not miss. J.D. Martinez taught that lesson to Orioles rookie Yefry Ramirez the hard way on Saturday night.
On the 10th pitch -- and eighth slider -- of a fourth-inning at-bat, Martinez blasted a middle-of-the-zone slider from Ramirez a projected 419 feet to right-center field, according to Statcast™, to get the Red Sox on the board, 2-1, in Game 2 of the doubleheader.
The homer -- Martinez's MLB-leading 36th -- was the slugger's first hit of the doubleheader after going 0-for-4 in Boston's 5-0 Game 1 win.