The prodigious Red Sox offense was on full display in the month of May. Here’s a look at how Boston stacked up against the rest of Major League Baseball and the team’s own club records.
Against the Rest
As a team, Red Sox batters hit at 309-for-1012 for a .305 AVG. No other MLB team hit above .288 in May. The Sox led all of baseball for on-base percentage (.371) and slugging percentage (.525) for an MLB-best OPS of .896. May 2016 marked just the sixth time since 1913 that the Sox have owned a May team AVG of .300 or higher (also 1940, 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2006).
Those solid Red Sox averages came from 309 hits, which included 68 doubles and 46 home runs with 177 RBI, all four values were the most in May of any team. The Sox also collected 8 May triples and 98 walks, tied for the second most and third most in the American League, respectively.
In all, the Red Sox amassed 122 extra-base hits in May. No other team reached even 100 such hits.
That massive Sox offense resulted in 182 runs scored, the most in MLB and a full 26 more runs than their nearest competitor, the Mariners (156).
Individual Contributors
In more than 100 years of Red Sox history, no Boston player—not Jim Rice, not David Ortiz, not even Ted Williams—has ever had more hits in the month of May than Xander Bogaerts. His 49 hits last month surpassed by one the former record held by Wade Boggs in his 1986 season.
When it comes to runs scored, Mookie Betts‘ 30 for May 2016 is second only to The Great Williams. Before Betts this season, Teddy Ballgame held the top three Sox performances for runs scored in May, with 32 in May 1942 and then 29 in his 1949 and 1941 seasons.
Big Papi’s 12 May doubles tied him with Nomar Garciaparra in 2002 and Mike Lowell in 2006 for the third most in club history since 1913.
Travis Shaw‘s 32 May strikeouts were the fourth most in club history since 1913.
2016 in Sox History
Fans witnessed an historical Red Sox team this year. The club’s .525 SLG, its 531 total bases, its 177 RBI, its 182 runs scored, and it’s 122 extra-base hits were all club records since at least 1913.
The Red Sox missed club records by one last month in both hits and home runs. Their 309 May hits were second to the 310 collected in May 1981. Their 46 May home runs were just shy of the club-record 47 HRs of the 1996 and 1977 seasons.
All About the Wins
Thanks in large part to the offense, the Red Sox were 18-10 in May. The 18 wins were the most in the American League. The Sox’ .643 win percentage in May tied them with the Cubs for the second best monthly mark in baseball after the Giant’s 21-8 (.724) record. The Red Sox’ all-time best May came in 1946 when they went 21-6 (.778).
The Sox were the first American League team to reach 30 games on May 29. The club’s all-time quickest route to 30 wins came May 20, 2002.
Boston’s pitching owned a 4.11 team ERA in May, 14th highest among baseball’s 30 teams. Red Sox starters’ ERA was 4.63 in May, which was actually worse than their April ERA of 4.49. The Sox bullpen, on the other hand, posted a far more respectable 2.93 ERA in May, down from 3.59 in April, for the fifth bet mark among MLB relief squads in May.