WASHINGTON — Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of what Andrew Benintendi called “probably my best overall game of my career.”

July 4 will always hold special significance for the Boston Red Sox outfielder. It was the night Benintendi recorded the second of his two career five-hit games, a two-homer, six-RBI performance in an 11-4 win over the Rangers.

That bit of history came back to the forefront over the weekend in New York. Rafael Devers surpassed Benintendi as the youngest Boston player to record five hits, going 5 for 5 in Saturday’s 11-0 hammering of the Yankees. Devers, Benintendi and Mookie Betts each have at least one five-hit game, another reminder of the talented young core that helps drive the Red Sox.

“We haven’t really talked about it, but we have a lot of young guys,” Benintendi said before Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the Nationals. “It’s a good mix of younger and older, veteran kind of guys. Everybody gets along and the chemistry is good.”

Devers, Benintendi, Betts and Xander Bogaerts make up almost half of the lineup. All four players are homegrown and 25 or younger, a departure from some previous Boston teams, who relied exclusively on veterans and spent lavishly in free agency. Kevin Youkilis and Cesar Crespo were the only position players under age 28 used by the 2004 World Series winners, and a 27-year-old Bronson Arroyo was the youngest pitcher used at any point in the playoffs.

The Red Sox are 30 games over .500 heading into the final leg of their trip at Kansas City. Boston is 22-6 in series finales this season, including 17-4 on getaway days. Washington lost its fifth straight.

Advertisement

“That’s amazing – great accomplishment so far,” said Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who drove in a pair of runs on Wednesday. “But we don’t care about that right now. We just want to take it one game at a time, win today and think about winning the next day. We’ll see what happens at the end.”

Team records could be rewritten if the Red Sox continue at their current pace. Benintendi displaced Babe Ruth as the youngest in team history with a five-hit game against the Orioles in April 2017, needing just 22 years, 291 days. Devers bettered that by more than a full year, starting his night with a grand slam and never looking back at 21 years, 249 days.

“The times I did it, one of them I think I got three lucky hits,” Benintendi said. “The other one it was five good ones. It’s something you can’t control, obviously. If it’s meant to be, it happens.”

The same could be said about Boston’s pursuit of a third straight American League East title, one that would allow the team to avoid a potential one-game wild-card matchup, probably against the Astros or Mariners. New York is a game ahead of the Red Sox in the loss column, and it doesn’t appear that the Yankees will give an inch anytime soon. It will likely to be a desperate push all the way into October, one Boston seems to be embracing.

“I’m proud of them,” Manager Alex Cora said. “They show up every day. They prepare. They go about their business the right way. They’re enjoying winning.

“They don’t get caught up in whatever is going on around us. They’re very focused on the task at hand. We know where we’re at, but we still have a long way to go.”

Advertisement

TYLER THORNBURG was finally in a Red Sox uniform for the first time on Wednesday, though he did not pitch.

Thornburg’s last major-league appearance came Oct. 2, 2016, with the Brewers, as he picked up the victory in a 6-4 win over the Rockies. Shoulder surgery sidelined him for the 2017 season and more than half of 2018, with a seemingly endless string of minor-league rehab appearances and the occasional setbacks finally coming to a close.

“It’s been one of those where at times it felt like it was never going to get here and then other times it felt like it was right around the corner,” Thornburg said. “Then it just kept going and kept going. I feel like I’ve been waiting long enough. I’m definitely excited.”

Thornburg’s two stints in the minor leagues this season included 18 appearances between the Triple-A Pawtucket and Double-A Portland. He allowed 15 hits and struck out 15 in 161/3 innings, both somewhat below the standard he set during the last of his five seasons with Milwaukee. Thornburg was one of the National League’s most dominant relievers during his final season with Milwaukee, allowing 38 hits and striking out 90 in 2016.

“I hope we get to use him,” Cora said. “He’s healthy, he’s here and he’s available. If there’s a pocket there where we feel he’s a good matchup for us we’ll use him.”

William Cuevas was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket after throwing the final two innings on Tuesday. It was his first Boston appearance since 2016.

Advertisement

DREW POMERANZ (left biceps tendinitis) and Steven Wright (left knee inflammation) each threw bullpen sessions on Wednesday. Pomeranz is likely to make another rehab start with Pawtucket. Wright’s next step is uncertain, with a return as a reliever possible ahead of the All-Star break.

“With him, it hasn’t been that long,” Cora said. “He’s so unique you never know. Maybe we put him in the bullpen or he might go down (to Pawtucket). We’ll talk about that one.”

The Red Sox are currently carrying five position players on the bench and seven right-handed relievers. Brian Johnson made his second spot start on Tuesday, and the left-hander could well be in line for a third when Boston returns to Fenway Park for a seven-game homestand with the Rangers and Blue Jays into the All-Star break. Johnson fell one out shy of qualifying for his second victory of the season, throwing 77 pitches over 42/3 innings.

“You always want to go out there and try to get through five at least to get the win and help the team out and save the bullpen,” Johnson said. “I understood. They explained it to me right when I came out, and I totally understand.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.