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Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts took little time making an impact in his return to the starting lineup, hitting three home runs against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Betts hit solo home runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings of a 5-4 win against the Royals. It was the fourth three-homer game for the 25-year-old Betts, snapping a tie with Ted Williams for most three-homer games in franchise history. Betts broke into the majors with the Red Sox in 2014, so he was well aware of the significance of the connection to the Hall of Famer. "It's pretty cool," Betts said. "He hit .400 in a year and did a whole bunch of things I haven't done. Just to know my name is amongst his is pretty cool." Betts, who returned to action in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 7-6 loss in 13 innings and went hitless in two at-bats, had not started since suffering right hamstring tightness in the fourth inning of Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He is the first player in MLB history to have four games with three home runs before the age of 26. And his 68 career home runs out of the leadoff spot is just one behind Dom DiMaggio for the most in Red Sox franchise history. For the season, Betts is hitting .365 with 11 home runs and 21 RBIs. "I see Mookie Betts six times a year," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Going on a six-game look, a special player." Betts didn't have the only three-home run afternoon. Cleveland's Edwin Encarnacion hit three and drove in six runs in the Indians' 12-4 win over Texas. In other Boston news, the Red Sox put left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez on the family medical leave list. To fill Rodriguez's spot on the 25-man roster, the club recalled right-handed pitcher Marcus Walden from Triple-A Pawtucket. Rodriguez is 3-0 with a 4.78 ERA this season, with the Red Sox winning each of his five starts. Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.
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