BOSTON — Marcelo Mayer liked the feeling of hitting a Fenway Park home run so much, he did it twice Wednesday.
Mayer waited on a first-pitch Zack Littell slider to lead off the bottom of the second inning and took launch, smacking it 108.7 mph and 418 feet into the right field seats for the first home homer of his major league career. Two innings later, he got a Littell splitter in the middle of the zone and didn’t miss it, punishing the ball 410 feet with an exit velocity of 104.9 mph.
For Mayer, who never hit more than 13 homers in a single season at any level of the minors, power is not the main calling card. But his ability to hit the ball hard and instantly change a game looms omnipresent in a new-look, young Red Sox lineup.
“Effortless,” said manager Alex Cora. “He’s not trying. Obviously, trying to hit the ball hard. But he’s able to go the other way… It’s a complete at-bat.”
Mayer has looked very comfortable at third base throughout his first two-plus weeks as a big leaguer, settling into a relatively new position with ease and a well-tuned internal clock. The offensive side of the ball, however, has been more of a struggle. Mayer has had hits here and there but entered Wednesday hitting just .225 with four extra-base hits, 11 strikeouts and a .670 OPS through 44 MLB plate appearances. Five days after his first career big league homer at Yankee Stadium, he had his best offensive game so far.
“It’s always better to hit a homer at home than on the road,” Mayer said. “I’d much rather get cheered than booed. It was awesome. I love this place. I love the energy Fenway Park brings so it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
“To get the first one at home was special. Then to get the second one, anytime you can help the team out offensively means a lot.”
In the span of one night, Mayer raised his OPS to .836.
“The process always stays the same,” he said. “I feel more comfortable every single day I’m here. Obviously, a little bit of adjustments I’ve made have helped me be a little bit more on time.”
The Red Sox have undergone major power outages at points so far this season. But after Jarren Duran, Mayer (twice) and Abraham Toro went yard Wednesday, they now have 12 home runs in their last six games. The four solo shots, including a leadoff dinger by Duran and the game-winner by Toro, were all the club needed in a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay.
“It’s important,” said Cora. “We can talk about putting the ball in play with men in scoring position or walking or running the bases well. In this league, that plays. When you hit homers, it’s a lot easier.
“They had a good gameplan going into it and they executed. We were very aggressive early in counts. Jarren hit it in the air, he (Marcelo) hit it in the air. It was a good day for the offense.”
Since the Red Sox arrived home Monday after taking two of three in the Bronx, everything has been about Roman Anthony, who debuted Monday, got a big first MLB hit in front of friends and family Tuesday and is already hitting in front of fellow rookies Mayer and Kristian Campbell in the lineup. Wednesday, though, was something of a reminder that Anthony Mania shouldn’t take away from the fact the Red Sox have another really talented rookie at third base (his position at least for now).
“The biggest thing is just getting a good pitch to hit and a pitch you can do damage on,” Mayer said. “Thankfully, I was on time and he put it in a good spot for me to do damage. It always feels good to hit a homer.”
After a series win over the Rays, next up is a three-game series against the Yankees and Mayer expects Fenway to “be rocking” in his first taste of the rivalry at home.
“This team shows a lot of fight,” Mayer said. “Tampa won a really close one. I think we played a really good game on Monday. But we came back and won two in a row and it shows how good of a team we can be when we put both sides of the ball together.”
