The ‘Turner Time’, which ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is revived with the Boston Red Sox. Justin Turner (39), looking at the bullshit, is leading the Boston batting line with his ageless performance.
Turner started as the designated hitter twice in the home game against the New York Yankees held at Fenway Park on the 17th (Korean time), and led Boston to a 15-5 victory with 3 hits and 6 RBIs in 5 at-bats, including a home run in consecutive hits. The 6 RBIs were Turner’s most RBIs in an individual game.
Turner, who opened the game with a left line drive double from his first at-bat in the first inning, fired a two-run home run in the left midfield in the second inning. He gained momentum and hit a wedge in the third inning with a home run that went over the center fence. The home run, which hit the top of the wall behind the spectators’ seats on the center wall, reached a distance of 429 feet (130.8 m).메이저놀이터
According to ‘MLB.com’, Boston manager Alex Cora said, “I haven’t seen many players hit home runs that high. Around 2007-2008, Manny Ramirez used to pass over there a lot. It was a beautiful swing,” he said, praising Turner. Ramirez, a giant of memories who hit 555 homers in his career, was a star who led Boston to two World Series championships.
Until this day, Turner has a batting average of .278 (71 hits in 255 at-bats), 10 homers, 36 RBIs, .356 on-base percentage, .451 OPS, and .807 in 67 games this season. Entering June, his batting average was 303.3 (19 hits in 57 at-bats), 4 homers, 15 RBIs, and OPS of .991 in 14 games, showing a clear rise in hitting.
Turner, who spent nine years in LA in the warm west, had to adjust to the cold weather in the east at the beginning of the season. “We talked about the difficulty of hitting at Fenway Park for the first two months,” said Turner, who said he also spoke about it with former Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia. They say it’s a good place to hit when the days are full and warm. He said, “The balls caught in front of the fence at the beginning of the season started to go over.”
[Photos] Boston Justin Turner. ⓒGettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited)
[Photos] Boston Justin Turner. ⓒGettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited)
As the temperature rises, Turner’s sense of hitting is also getting hotter. “If you look at the number of pitches and walks per at-bat, Turner is providing good enough at-bats,” Cora said. When the blade is loosened and the ball starts to fly more, more results will be shown,” he said, expecting an increase in Turner’s slugging power.
After the season last year, Turner parted ways with the Dodgers after nine years. The Dodgers did not exercise the team option of $16 million in annual salary in 2023, and Turner, who became a free agent, moved the team by signing a contract with Boston for $15 million for one year and up to $21.7 million for two years. He initially expected to reunite with the Dodgers by lowering his salary, but disagreed over the contract period.
In mid-December last year, the Dodgers signed free agent designated hitter JD Martinez from Boston for 10 million dollars for a year, effectively breaking up with Turner. The following afternoon, Turner signed a contract with Boston and confirmed the breakup. ‘Turner Time’ was held at every decisive moment for 9 years at the Dodgers, but there was no permanent companion in the cold business world.
Martinez, who was recruited by the Dodgers after giving up Turner, is showing great success with a batting average of .257 (54 hits in 210 at-bats), 16 homers, 48 RBIs, and an OPS of .890 in 54 games this season. The Dodgers’ selection was not wrong, but Turner, who is zealous, is also continuing his presence in Boston with his 39-year-old performance.