BOSTON - Anybody who says baseball is boring hasn't watched this season's Red Sox offense.
The Sox came into Thursday's game against the Houston Astros with hottest bats in baseball, and unfortunately for reigning AL Cy Young Award Dallas Keuchel, he was nothing more than fuel to their fire.
The Sox lit up Keuchel for eight runs as they swung their way to an 11-1 victory at Fenway Park, their fifth straight win and 14th in their last 18 games.
If you've been following this team over the last couple seasons, you know that it's been a while since the team had an exciting lineup from top to bottom.
This season they do.
And we were quickly reminded of it when in the first inning, Xander Bogaerts golfed a breaking ball over the Green Monster for a two-run home run that kicked off yet another Sox scoring binge.
One more run in the second. Two more in the third. And then the stick that broke Keuchel's back in the sixth, a three-run homer into the Monster seats courtesy of Mookie Betts. Keuchel finished the inning, but Houston was then forced to use its bullpen earlier than it had hoped, a far too common theme amongst Red Sox opponents.
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It was the fourth straight game in which Boston scored at least 11 runs after they massacred the Oakland Athletics for three games.
"We're in a good stretch," John Farrell said. "That goes without saying. But it's just the relentlessness up and down the lineup and that's the one word we try to take pride in. That means you've prepared, that means you're not giving at-bats away or innings away or innings away from the mound. The more we can make that customary we're probably in pretty good shape."
Since April 25, a span of 17 games, the Sox have 43 doubles, five triples, and 29 home runs. They've had at least one home run in each of their last 13 games.
Fans who have come out to support the team early in the season have been rewarded. Thursday's game was the sixth straight home game that the Sox have scored at least eight runs and recorded at least 12 hits, marking the first time that's happened at Fenway Park.
That's a lot of history.
"It's unbelievable. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this to be honest," Bogaerts said.
"This is kind of like a PlayStation, you know? I don't think even on a PlayStation you score as much runs. But it's reality and we're doing it in our hometown and our home park and our fans are definitely loving it."
Bogaerts couldn't help but laugh and shake his head in disbelief at how he managed to hit that first-inning home run. Jackie Bradley, Jr., after extending his hitting streak to 18 games, smiled while recalling his luck on the infield single that eventually led to Betts' three-run home run. And Betts, after grounding out in his first three at-bats, was relieved to have taken advantage of a pitch out over the plate.
After two full seasons of bad breaks and disappointment, everything seems to be coming up Red Sox.