The Detroit Tigers have been in a bit of a funk lately, as they recently snapped an eight-game losing streak and have lost 14 of their last 21 games.
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However, they got just the win they needed as they steamrolled the New York Yankees, 12-4, on Sunday.
Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez has continued to demonstrate his ability as a power hitter since hitting a career-high 23 home runs for the Tigers in 2014.
Martinez is easily on track to break his own record, as he has already reached 16 in the month of June, and the All-Star break is still a couple of weeks away.
The 27-year-old outfielder hit three home runs in the Tigers’ win against the Yankees, which marked his first career multi-home run game.
Martinez homered in his first three at-bats, giving him a chance to make baseball history in the eighth inning.
After attempting to become the 17th player to hit four home runs in a major-league game, Martinez flied out to right field.
He finished with six RBIs as starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez improved his record to 6-7 with three runs allowed in seven innings while notching five strikeouts.
Martinez became the fourth player this season to notch a hat trick for home runs. Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto also accomplished this feat.
However, Martinez accomplished a rare feat of his own as he became the fifth player in MLB history to hit three home runs with six RBIs on the road against the Yankees.
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