Martinez and Betts, MLB's Best Hitting Tandem, Have Red Sox on Record Home Run Pace

The top hitting duo in MLB resides in the American League East. No, it’s not the New York Yankees’ slugging combo of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Instead, it’s Boston’s tandem of Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez.

The addition of Martinez, who signed a 5-year, $110 million contract with the Red Sox during the first week of Spring Training, to Boston’s power-starved offense—which ranked last in the American League in home runs last season—was (understandably) overshadowed by the Yankees’ acquisition of Stanton in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins. But through nearly two months of the season, Martinez has panned out as baseball's best offseason addition.

Martinez blasted two homers on Sunday, the first one wrapping around Fenway Park's Pesky Pole in right field.

J.D. Martinez goes oppo-🌮 ... because what else is new? #RedSox pic.twitter.com/obqTYUAzqI

— NESN (@NESN) May 20, 2018

Connecting for a two-run shot in the fifth inning, Martinez collected his eighth career multi-homer game and his first with the Red Sox.

Your HR leaderboard update:
Mookie Betts - 15@JDMartinez14 – 15

This is getting absurd. pic.twitter.com/5d5ZgcOr22

— MLB (@MLB) May 20, 2018

Martinez and Betts are tied atop the MLB leaderboard in homers with 15 and have led Boston to a historic home run pace. The Red Sox have launched an MLB-leading 68 home runs. That is the most home runs the Red Sox (32-15) have ever mashed in the first 47 games of a season.

J.D. Martinez hit two homers in Boston's 5-0 win over Baltimore. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

The Red Sox are the first team since the 2001 Colorado Rockies to have two players hit 15 or more homers through 47 games. Not even the duo of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, one of the deadliest hitting combos in baseball history, accomplished this feat.

“The two guys I thought did it, Manny and David, never did it,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s fun to watch. There’s nothing else I can say, it’s fun to watch.”

Martinez has 10 home runs in the last 18 games. Only Baltimore’s Manny Machado has more RBIs (42) this season than Martinez, who has drove in 41 runs. Martinez has recorded at least one extra-base hit in 23 games, the most in MLB. He’s on pace to belt a career-high 54 dingers.

While Martinez is the hottest hitter in baseball, Betts maintains the best résumé of the 2018 season. Betts leads MLB in batting (.365), runs, slugging, doubles and OPS. Boston’s leadoff hitter is also tied for the league-lead in hits and ranks second in OBP and WAR, trailing only Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout in those two categories.

Betts and the red-hot Martinez have the Red Sox—who are on pace to smash a franchise-record 234 homers—in position to be the best power hitting team in the league. That’s quite the turnaround from last season’s club, which clubbed an AL-worst 168 home runs.