BOSTON -- Who said there would be no real noise at Fenway Park without fans?\n\nOn Opening Night, the sound of baseballs being barreled up by the potent Boston bats was unmistakable.\n\nThe Red Sox -- pent up as they were from a season delayed by four months -- quickly made up for lost time by battering the Orioles, 13-2, in Friday's Game 1 of 60. They did it on the strength of eight doubles, a new franchise record for Opening Day.\n\n• Box score\n\nEven without the great Mookie Betts, who is now making his home in Los Angeles, Boston has a whole lot of offense.\n\n\"We have a good lineup. Obviously we lost Mook, which is a big bat,\" said designated hitter
The biggest noise-maker on Friday? Newly-installed No. 2 hitter Martinez, who reached base in his first four plate appearances, which included an RBI double to left in the third, a two-run double to right in the fourth and a hard single up the middle in the fifth.\n\nIn case you haven't heard, Martinez enjoys using the whole field.\n\nIt was Martinez's first time batting second since 2016 when he was with the Tigers, and just his 34th start there in his career. In his first two seasons with Boston, Martinez hit exclusively in the third and fourth slots. Judging by the way things went on Friday, you should get used to seeing Martinez in the two-hole.\n\n• JBJ kneels during anthem; O's lock arms\n\n\"I mean, I'm not complaining,\" Martinez said. \"Came up twice with the bases loaded. So far, so good. But definitely different, that's for sure. Not used to it. I feel like I was always getting ready to hit. I feel like I was always on the verge of coming up. I'm not really used to getting six at-bats in a night.\"\n\n• Eovaldi changes uni number ... midgame\n\nIf Martinez took the starring role, he had a strong supporting cast.\n\n
\"It was a great showing by the offense tonight,\" said Bradley. \"Great showing by the pitching staff. It was pretty good defensively as well. The guys really got it done tonight.\"\n\nIt was also a fine way for Ron Roenicke to rack up his first win as Boston's manager.\n\n\"I knew our offense was good and we've been swinging the bat well, but obviously you don't expect them to come out \\[like that\\],\" Roenicke said. \"In my mind, I'm not expecting we're going to score that many runs. But guys continue to swing the bats great and we got the good pitching. To start like this, for me, it's kind of nice that the first one goes like this.\"
\n\n \n\nThe Red Sox erupted for four runs (including four doubles) in the bottom of the third and then belted Baltimore around with a six-spot in the fourth to make it a 10-0 game.\n\nEveryone knows the Sox can hit. Yet there are boundless questions about the pitching staff.\n\nAs shortstop Xander Bogaerts put it before the game, \"Honestly, we don't have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.\"
But in a shortened season, the Sox just might be able to sock their way to contender status, particularly with the news that the playoffs have been expanded to eight teams in each league.\n\n