Turner Time, which ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has resurfaced with the Boston Red Sox. Justin Turner, 39, is leading the Boston offense with a performance that belies his age.
Starting in the No. 2 spot in the lineup against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on Sunday, Turner went 3-for-5 with a home run and six RBIs to lead Boston to a 15-5 victory. The six RBI tied Turner’s career high for RBI in a single game.메이저사이트
After leading off the first inning with a line drive double to left field, Turner followed with a two-run homer to the left-center field wall in the second. He continued to build on the momentum in the third inning with a grand slam over the center field fence. The home run hit the top of the wall behind the center field bleachers and traveled a whopping 429 feet (130.8 meters).
According to MLB.com, Boston manager Alex Cora said, “I haven’t seen a lot of guys send a home run that high. Manny Ramirez used to hit a lot of them in 2007 and 2008. It was a beautiful swing,” he said of Turner. Ramirez, the iconic slugger who hit 555 career home runs, was the star of Boston’s two World Series championships.
Through 67 games this season, Turner is batting 2-for-7 with 10 home runs, 36 RBIs, a .356 on-base percentage, a .451 slugging percentage and an .807 OPS. In June, he’s seen a distinct uptick at the plate, going 3-for-3 (19-for-57) with four homers, 15 RBIs and a .991 OPS in 14 games.
Turner, who spent nine years in the warm West Coast, had to adjust to the cold weather on the East Coast early in the season. “We talked about the difficulty of hitting in Fenway Park for the first couple months,” said Turner, who said he also talked to former Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia about it. He said it was a great place to hit once the weather broke and it got warmer. Balls caught in front of the fence early in the season started to go over.”
[Photo] Boston’s Justin Turner. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
[Photo] Boston’s Justin Turner. Getty Images (All rights reserved)
As temperatures have risen, Turner’s at-bats have gotten hotter. “If you look at his pitches per at-bat and his walks, he’s getting quality at-bats,” Cora said. As the weather warms up and the ball starts to fly more, we’ll see more results,” said Cora, who expects Turner’s power to increase.
Turner parted ways with the Dodgers after last season after nine years with the organization. The Dodgers didn’t pick up his $16 million team option for 2023, and he became a free agent, signing with Boston for one year, $15 million guaranteed and two years up to $21.7 million. He initially hoped to reunite with the Dodgers at a lower salary, but disagreed on the length of the contract.
The Dodgers effectively parted ways with Turner in mid-December by signing free agent designated hitter J.D. Martinez to a one-year, $10 million deal from Boston. The following afternoon, Turner signed with Boston to finalize the parting of ways. During his nine years with the Dodgers, “Turner Time” was held at every pivotal moment, but in the cold world of business, there is no such thing as a permanent companion.
Martinez, whom the Dodgers acquired when they waived Turner, is batting 25-for-54 with 16 homers, 48 RBIs and an .890 OPS in 54 games this season. The Dodgers made the right move, but the desperate Turner has continued to be a force in Boston, playing well beyond his 39 years.