BOSTON -- It had been almost 10 years since the Angels had a first inning like they did against the Red Sox on Monday, and they made Fenway Park history in the process.
The Angels launched three homers -- including a leadoff blast from Zach Neto, a three-run homer from Mike Trout and a solo shot from Jo Adell -- as part of a six-run inning against right-hander Richard Fitts in a 7-6 win in the series opener. It marked the first time they hit three homers in an opening frame since Sept. 3, 2016, at Seattle. And it was also the first time a visiting club had accomplished the feat at Fenway Park since the ballpark opened in 1912.
“Anytime you break records at a stadium like this, it’s pretty special,” Trout said. “I just found out after the game. Pretty crazy.”
Neto got things going with his fifth leadoff homer of the year after he hit four during May. It was also his 10th homer of the season, as he’s been red-hot since missing the first 18 games of the season after undergoing right shoulder surgery in November.
Trout has also been on fire since he returned from the IL on Friday after missing a month with a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee. Trout smacked his 10th homer of the season, giving him double digits in homers in 13 seasons.
“I think you guys have seen Mike Trout for a while,” manager Ron Washington said. “Anybody that knows Mike Trout shouldn't be surprised. Mike Trout can still do a lot of things that a lot of people can't do, and he's showing that.”
Trout's homer was crushed, as it went a Statcast-projected 454 feet over the Green Monster in left-center. He’s one of just three players to hit two homers at least 450 feet this year, joining Eugenio Suárez and Kyle Schwarber, and Trout has done it in just 33 games. It was also just his second career homer at Fenway Park in 35 career games and his first since 2019.
He credited working with the club’s hitting coaches during May for his impressive numbers at the plate since his return. He was cleared to swing several weeks before running, so the three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star had ample time to make mechanical tweaks.
“I got to work on my swing a little bit because it wasn't bothering me,” Trout said. “We had time off to just reset. I think the biggest thing is I was cutting off every swing, not staying through the ball. When your swing is in the zone for a short period of time, you swing and miss a lot and you don't recognize stuff. So the longer the barrel is in the zone, the better. I just looked at some video and grinded with the hitting coaches. And it's been cool to see results.”
Trout also singled in the third and again in the fifth to make history. He passed Angels legend Tim Salmon (1,674) on the club’s all-time hit list. Only Garret Anderson with 2,368 has more hits with the Angels in franchise history.
“That's cool,” Trout said. “And obviously I know Salmon well. Playing here [with the Angels] and just seeing him around the ballpark, it's pretty cool to pass someone like that.”
Trout picked up his second three-hit game over his past three contests, after he also had three hits in Cleveland on Saturday. It marked the first time since 2018 he had three hits in back-to-back starts.
Adell also went deep in the first for his eighth homer of the year. It came on a first-pitch fastball and went a projected 404 feet over the Green Monster.
He added his ninth home run -- a second solo blast in the sixth -- that proved to be a pivotal insurance run, as lefty Tyler Anderson gave up five runs over 4 1/3 innings and the bullpen, including closer Kenley Jansen, had to pick up the slack.
It was the sixth career multihomer game for Adell and his second this season. He's been hitting better recently, batting .306/.405/.694 with four homers, two doubles and eight RBIs over his past 11 games.
“He is swinging well,” Washington said. “And the thing is, we’ve got to keep him swinging the bat. As long as he's swinging the bat, he’s dangerous. And sometimes when he does well, he goes up there and gets a little tentative. So tonight, we tried to keep pushing him to swing the bat if it’s over the zone.”