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Red Sox's Benintendi Joins Elite Company by Going 5-for-5
On Sunday in Baltimore, Boston Red Sox Rookie Andrew Benintendi joined Joe Cronin, Tony Conigliaro and Eric Hosmer on an exclusive list. The Red Sox hammered out 14 hits and 3 home runs against the Orioles but it was Benintendi's 5 singles that made history.
In 1929, at age 22, Joe Cronin went 5-for-5 for the Washington Senators. Cronin went on the to have a 20 year Hall of Fame career with the Senators and the Red Sox while hitting .301 and making seven All Star Teams. He also managed for 14 years and served as American League President for another 14 years.
In 1962, Tony Conigliaro was signed by the Boston Red Sox at the age of 17. In 1963 he hit 24 home runs and batted .363 in the minors and was called up to the majors in 1964. As a rookie Conigliaro hit 24 home runs while driving in 52 and batting .290 before being injured in August.
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In 1965, Tony C, as he was known to Red Sox fans, became the youngest player (22) to lead the American League in home runs with 32. On April 16, 1967, he went five for five against the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium.
Conigliaro was destined to become a Hall of Fame player for Boston until he was hit in the face by a fastball thrown by Jack Hamilton of the California Angels on August 18, 1967 at Fenway Park. Tony Conigliaro made a miraculous comeback in 1969 and in 1970 hit an incredible 36 home runs with partial vision. His career ended in 1975 because of permanent eye damage.
Sunday in Baltimore
On Sunday, in Baltimore, Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi went 5-for-5 with five singles. At age 22, he became the youngest player since Joe Cronin and the first Red Sox since Tony Conigliaro to go 5-for-5 in a game. He also became the first player to go 5-for-5 since Eric Hosmer for Kansas City in 2011.
So far in 2017, Benintendi is batting .347 and is 15-for-30 (.500) in his last 7 games. After the game, according to Ben Standig, Andrew said,
"I got in some counts I thought I could put good swings on balls," "Obviously a couple of them were pretty fortunate, but [you] take them anyway you can."
The Red Sox defeated the Orioles 6-2 to take the series finale at Camden Yards. They avoided being swept by their first place division rivals. Many people believe Andrew Benintendi will be the favorite to win the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year Award. Days like Sunday in Baltimore make it appear to be a real possibility.
