Roman Anthony sets another Red Sox record with leadoff home run

According to MLB stats guru Sarah Langs, Anthony is the youngest player in Red Sox franchise history with a leadoff home run at 21 years and 104 days old.

The promising outfielder surpassed the record previously set by Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr — who slugged a leadoff home run at 21 years and 116 days old on August 1, 1939. 

Anthony – who has displayed a grounded, even-keeled approach since arriving in the big leagues in June — had an unsurprising reaction when informed of his latest record-breaking effort in Baltimore.

“It’s pretty cool,” Anthony said after Boston’s 4-3 comeback win over the Orioles. “It’s good. I like that. Sweet. Thanks for letting me know, but no, that’s great.”

Anthony – who has already matched other Red Sox legends like Ted Williams when it comes to his impressive production at the plate at such a young age — recorded two hits and scored two runs in Boston’s fourth win in five days. 

The former top prospect in baseball is now batting .283 with a .396 on-base percentage to go along with six home runs, 18 doubles, 28 RBIs and 44 runs across 63 games. 

After slugging two home runs over his first 50 games with Boston, Anthony now has four homers over his last 13 outings. 

“I don’t ever really think about my age or anything when I’m here,” Anthony said of his strong play so far, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. “I don’t necessarily feel young. The guys will let me know. But I think we got a group of young guys and a good mix of veteran guys and younger guys. So we all feel like we’re the same age, a bunch of guys having fun when we come to the park.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.