This has been somewhat of a nightmare season for J.D. Martinez, one he recently reflected on during a visit to the Bradfo Sho podcast.
Yet, Tuesday night in Cincinnati the clouds may have finally parted for Martinez.
The free-agent-to-be returned to the form he had exhibited throughout the majority of his Red Sox career, blasting both a 405-foot triple and 420-foot home run.
The homer was his first this month and just third since the All-Star break.
So, what happened? Appearing on the Red Sox Network postgame show with Joe Castiglione and Will Flemming, the designated hitter offered some interesting insight.
"Honestly, I just went back to some feels I had, looking at video back in 2014," said Martinez, who now has 12 homers on the season. "I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to try this today.’ I told everybody. ‘I was like, I’m doing something different. What’s the worst that can happen, I go 0-for-4?’ I was like, ‘I have been 0-for-4 a million times this year. I’m good. Let’s try something new.’
"It was something different. A different feel that I have tried, and it paid off. Obviously, it was a mechanical thing. It feels like it was huge, but it’s really not. When you kind of look at it on film, you’re like, ‘It’s not that really big of a difference.’ But to me, the way it feels, it looks like it’s enormous."
The Red Sox would ultimately come away with a 5-3 win over the Reds, with rookie starter Brayan Bello once again offering optimism. Bello allowed just one run over five innings
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