The balls were flying out of JetBlue Park all afternoon on Friday, and Trevor Story was front and center leading the charge.
The Red Sox shortstop hit two of the club’s six home runs on the day, going 3 for 4 with two homers, three RBI and three runs scored in Boston’s 20-5 win over the Miami Marlins.
It was the latest in a string of fantastic performances for Story, who is now batting .476 with two home runs, three doubles, five RBI and an eye-popping 1.405 OPS through his first seven games.
He was hardly the only one hitting on Friday.
The Red Sox collectively had 14 extra-base hits, and in addition to Story’s shots, the club also got a two-run homer from Alex Bregman, a bomb of a solo shot by Abraham Toro and a solo home run by Trayce Thompson, who now leads the team and is tied for the MLB lead with four homers this spring. Nate Eaton (2 for 2, 2 RBI) wrapped up the home run derby with a solo shot in the sixth.
Bregman reached base four times in four plate appearances, going 2 for 2 with a walk, a hit by pitch, a stolen base and the two-run homer. Jarren Duran went 1 for 3 with a walk and a two-run double, and Rob Refsnyder went 1 for 3 with two RBI, including an RBI double in the fourth.
David Hamilton got the start at second base and went 1 for 3 with a run scored, and Vaughn Grissom subbed in during the sixth inning and went 2 for 3 with a two-run double.
The Red Sox kept it rolling once the benches emptied too. Franklin Arias, the club’s No. 4 ranked prospect, went 1 for 2 with an RBI double, Blaze Jordan had an RBI triple, and Nathan Hickey and Blake Sabol each had RBI doubles as well.
Boston scored in each of the eight innings they came to bat, including six runs in the bottom of the third to seize control early. It was collectively the club’s best offensive performance of the spring, with the Red Sox totaling 20 hits in the rout.
Making his second start as a member of the Red Sox, Walker Buehler enjoyed another strong showing, allowing one run over three innings. Buehler allowed three hits and a walk, struck out three, and the only damage came on an RBI groundout in the top of the second.
Overall Buehler has now allowed one run over five innings in his first two appearances, including one walk and seven strikeouts.
Garrett Whitlock made his first appearance in game action for the Red Sox since undergoing internal brace surgery on his right elbow last spring. The right-hander, who is expected to return to his old role out of the bullpen after several years working as a starter, allowed one hit, no walks and an unearned run while striking out one over his lone inning of work.
Justin Slaten, Luis Guerrero, Adam Ottavino and Matt Moore combined for four scoreless innings, with Slaten and Ottavino each tallying two strikeouts to help keep the Marlins off the board. Yovanny Cruz allowed a three-run home run with two outs in the top of the ninth to wrap up the scoring.
Prior to the game the Red Sox announced they have agreed to one year deals with all 23 remaining unsigned players who are under team control. The group includes most of the club’s young players who are not yet arbitration eligible, with some of the most notable names including Triston Casas, Wilyer Abreu and Connor Wong.
The deals wrap up all of the remaining mandatory offseason business for the Red Sox, but the club could also still agree to long-term extensions with some of its incumbent standouts. The most pressing candidate is left-hander Garrett Crochet, and according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the recently acquired ace remains open to a deal but won’t continue discussions into the regular season.
Opening Day is March 27 in Texas.
The Red Sox play their second of six games against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, with the club leading 1-0 in the Chairman’s Cup series after picking up an 8-4 win in the first matchup on March 1. Sean Newcomb is scheduled to start for the Red Sox, with Aroldis Chapman, Justin Wilson, Josh Winckowski and Noah Davis expected to take the mound as well. First pitch is 1:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on WEEI 93.7 FM.