J.D. Martinez is supposed to have an ankle injury that made him questionable to even be on the Boston Red Sox’s ALDS roster. But he sure didn’t look like he was dealing with much of an injury issue on Friday.
Martinez did not play in Game 1 of the series on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays. He was in the lineup as the designated hitter in Game 2. And he made a huge impact.
Martinez went 4-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Friday’s 14-6 win. He hit a double and a home run as part of Boston’s 20-hit attack. Enrique Hernandez had five hits, while Xander Bogaerts, Alex Verdugo and Christian Vazquez all added three hits.
After the game, Martinez credited the Red Sox’s training staff for helping to get him well enough to play in the game. Martinez also told Fox’s Ken Rosenthal that he could feel his ankle being a problem on the bases, but it was fine while he was batting at the plate.
If this were the regular season, Martinez would be on the injured list. But he’s pushing because it’s the playoffs.
His efforts paid off in a big way. Game 3 is on Sunday in Boston.
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