Boston Red Sox Player David Ortiz Sets MLB Mark for Hits by DH

SEATTLE—David Ortiz doubled in his first at-bat to become baseball’s all-time leader in hits as a designated hitter and hit a two-run homer an inning later, leading the Boston Red Sox to an 11-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.
Ortiz entered the night tied with Harold Baines for the most hits as a DH and it took just one at-bat to claim the record. Ortiz doubled to left-center field to lead off the second inning and was acknowledged by a standing ovation from the mix of Red Sox and Mariners fans.
An inning later, Ortiz collected his eighth hit of the series with a two-run homer off Seattle starter Aaron Harang (4-8), his 19th this season.
Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, currently the best in baseball, and the Red Sox knocked around Harang for seven runs and eight hits.
Ortiz appeared touched by the ovation, tipping his helmet twice toward the standing fans and patting his chest. Ortiz already held the marks for the most runs scored, doubles, home runs, extra-base hits and RBIs by a designated hitter.
Ortiz scored in the second on Jared Saltalamacchia’s sacrifice fly, then provided the big blow in the third with a two-out, two-run homer to right-center field, his second straight game going deep.
Boston broke the game open in the sixth and knocked out Harang after singles by Jose Iglesias and Brock Holt to open the inning. Ellsbury and Shane Victorino both had RBI singles in the four-run inning that was helped along by a throwing error from Seattle shortstop Brad Miller.  After Seattle held a 5-1 lead after two innings in Tuesday’s game, the Red Sox have outscored the Mariners 21-7 in the following 16 innings.
Ortiz’s milestone night overshadowed one of the best starts this season by Boston’s Felix Doubront. With its bullpen taxed in the opening two games of the series, Doubront (6-3) provided the outing Boston needed to give its relievers a rest.  Doubront took a shutout into the seventh and silenced a Seattle offense that scored 19 runs against Boston pitching in the first two games of the series. He allowed only a pair of early singles, and a double to Michael Saunders—the first Seattle batter to reach second base—in the fifth.
Seattle finally got to Doubront in the seventh when Jason Bay led off with a double and scored on Henry Blanco’s two-out single. But that was the extent of Seattle’s offense against the lefty. Doubront won his second straight start after going more than a month without a victory. It was third time this season Doubront has allowed one earned run or less, and just the second time he’s finished seven innings.  Doubront struck out six and walked two.
article by Associated Press via sportingnews.com