RED SOX NOTEBOOK: Lost homers have history

Benintendi, Martinez and Betts join Carl Yastrzemski in having lost home runs because of a rainout.

BOSTON -- Andrew Benintendi, J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts are in Hall of Fame company.

The last Red Sox batter to lose a home run because of a rainout was Carl Yastrzemski, whose last home career home run was a lost home run. He hit one out at Fenway Park off Baltimore’s Jim Palmer in the first inning on Sept. 12, 1983, and the game was later called due to rain.

That would have been Yastrzemski’s 453rd career home run. Instead, he finished with 452 and the last one to his official credit was on Sept. 10 in Cleveland.

Another Sox Hall of Famer to lose a homer to the weather was Jimmie Foxx, who had one rained out at Fenway Park on Aug. 21, 1937. The lost home runs by Benintendi, Martinez and Betts Wednesday night in Baltimore were the first because of a rainout since Yastrzemski’s, but the Sox have had 14 lost homers since then.

All were due to umpiring or replay decisions.

The most recent was here on Aug. 22, 2014, when Xander Bogaerts hit one so high over the left field foul pole that it couldn’t be determined if it was fair or foul, at least until the next day when a new replay angle showed it was right on the line, thus fair.

Stephen Drew lost one on June 25, 2013, when a ball that hit the ledge around the flagpole at Fenway was incorrectly ruled in play despite video review.

Dustin Pedroia lost two in 2008, one at Camden Yards and one at Fenway; Jason Varitek lost one in Oakland in 2007 when a ball he hit to right field struck the yellow homer line, but was ruled in play; J.D. Drew hit one off the top of the Green Monster in 2007 that was ruled in play.

Keeping pace with Yastrzemski, who is third on Boston’s all-time homer list, David Ortiz — second on that list — lost a homer in Minnesota in 2006 when his long fly ball hit a speaker hanging from the roof of the since-demolished Metrodome. Ortiz got a single, and wound up with a team-record 54 home runs that year, not 55.

Butch Hobson lost two home runs in one season, 1977. One hit a light tower above the Green Monster and bounced back onto the field. The other hit a fan in the center field bleachers and bounced back onto the field. George Scott also lost a homer that year and had those home runs been properly called, the Sox would have wound up with 216.

One of the most egregious lost homer calls in Sox history happened in Kansas City on July 1, 1988, when catcher Rich Gedman ripped a shot off the right field foul pole. Not only did the ball hit the pole and take a right-angle detour, it made a loud “ping” when it did.

Umpire Dale Scott called it foul and Gedman subsequently grounded into a double play.

Mitch Moreland lost a grand slam to weather when he was with the Rangers in 2011, his team ahead of Oakland, 7-0, when it was called in the third inning.

On the hill: Chris Sale and Minnesota's Lance Lynn are the opposing starters for the second game of the series, which is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Friday.

Sale has pitched well recently. He is 5-0 in his last five starts, 6-0 in his last seven with an 0.78 ERA. The only one of those starts in which Sale did not get a win was June 19 in Minnesota. He is 10-6 with a 4.12 earned-run average versus the Twins in his career.

Lynn is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox. That does not include his two appearances with the Cardinals against Boston in the 2013 World Series.

Around the bases: Moreland was not in the starting lineup Thursday night against the Twins as he got a rest, Steve Pearce playing first even with righty Kyle Gibson on the mound. Plans are for Moreland to start the next three games, manager Alex Cora said. … Steven Wright (knee) feels a lot better and Eduardo Rodriguez (sprained ankle) is in good spirits, according to Cora. Nothing new on Rodriguez’ injury, though. … Nathan Eovaldi has number 17, most recently worn by Deven Marrero. It has a great pitcher’s tradition, though, having been on the backs of Dick Radatz and Mel Parnell, among others.