David Ortiz began the fourth inning with a line drive to right field, sneaking a single through the Phillies’ pull-side shift.
Before the inning ended, he also added career home run No. 496.
The Red Sox scored seven runs between Ortiz’ two fourth-inning hits yesterday afternoon, continuing their offensive onslaught while getting a strong outing from left-hander Wade Miley as they cruised to an exciting 9-2 win at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox are one of just three major league teams (along with the Mets and Blue Jays) averaging six runs per game since the beginning of August.
The Sox scored four runs on one hit by Xander Bogaerts, who roped a bases-loaded double to the right-field corner and then scored on an aggressive baserunning play and nifty slide into home plate.
Bogaerts managed to stay back on an inside fastball and drove it down the first-base line, the ball bouncing off the right-field wall and fielded by Aaron Altherr about the same time Bogaerts was rounding second base. But the Phillies couldn’t connect their cutoff throws and the ball bounced toward the backstop. Bogaerts turned on the jets and dove headfirst into home, pulling back his right hand and touching home with his left, evading the tag from Carlos Ruiz.
It was ruled a double and Bogaerts received credit for three RBI on the play, and he added a fourth on a groundout in the eighth inning. It was his first four-RBI game of the season and second of his career.
Blake Swihart drove in the Red Sox’ first run in the big inning with a single up the middle, bringing up Jackie Bradley Jr. with the bases loaded. The red-hot Bradley, who entered the game leading all major league hitters since Aug. 9 with 20 extra-base hits and a 1.390 OPS, roped a double to right-center, bringing home two.
Ortiz capped off the inning by wrapping a 318-foot home run around Pesky’s Pole. He became just the seventh hitter in MLB history to hit 30 home runs at age 39 or older.
Miley, who took a perfect game into the fifth, finished the first complete game of his career while striking out eight, walking none and allowing just two runs on five hits.
