BOSTON -- Brock Holt hugs J.D. Martinez every time the Red Sox slugger returns to the dugout after homering. When and why did this start?

"My buddy," Martinez said, pointing out Holt began hugging him after he went deep in Toronto (May 13).

Holt gave Martinez another big hug here today after Martinez blasted his 17th homer in the Red Sox's 8-3 win over the Blue Jays at Fenway Park.

"Every time he hits a home run I go down to the end of the dugout and wait for him to give us high-fives and give him a big hug and then kind of jump around a bit," Holt said. "Just something I started doing when we were in Toronto. Just get excited when he hits a home run now. And down there waiting for him whenever he gets there."

Holt doesn't hug anyone else on the team after a home run. His home run hugs are reserved for Martinez.

"Just kind of (spontaneously) happened," Holt said.

The two were riding on the team bus to Rogers Centre on May 13 when Holt told Martinez about a dream he had. Holt dreamt Martinez homered wearing a necklace that Holt owns.

"It was a day game in Toronto," Holt said. "He was like, 'I have to wear it today.' So he wore it. And first at-bat he hit a home run. So I hugged him because of that. And so he wore it for like five or six days."

Martinez homered four times over the next five games wearing it.

"The mojo kind of wore off," Holt said. "So I'm wearing it now. But the hugs still continue."

Martinez is 38 percent of the way to his 2017 total of 45 homers. He has pulled three homers to left field, including his blast today. His other 14 homers have traveled to right field and center.

"Obviously before he came over here, we heard about his opposite-field power and how he likes to go that way," Holt said. "But I mean, to do it here at Fenway Park, for him to not change who he is playing in this park. It's a long way out there.

"He showed us the other day," Holt added. "He went over the 420-(foot) sign in the triangle. I've never seen a right-handed hitter do that. I saw David Ortiz do it once or twice. So it's pretty impressive. It's fun to watch every day.

"But he works hard and that's something I didn't know about him coming in," Holt added. "You obviously know how talented he is. But being around him and seeing the work he puts in and the studying he does with his swing and pitchers. He's got a pretty good idea of how a pitcher's going to attack him and what his approach is going to be that day against each guy that he faces. And it helps him going into the game. With the talent he has, it's pretty impressive."