Betts said he had never hit three homers in a game at any level.

Bradley left the team on paternity leave and Betts might as well have played the role of two players. His three homers (one to each part of the field), five RBIs, and a great diving catch produced what Betts called the “best game of my career.”

BALTIMORE – John Farrell suggested Jackie Bradley Jr. name his new son or daughter “Mookie” after the manager watched Betts hit three home runs Tuesday night in a 6-2 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Red Sox 6, Orioles 2 Mookie Betts goes deep three times in victory On Baseball: For Betts, does it get any better than this? See: 3-home-run games in Red Sox history Dan Shaughnessy: E-Rod adds to the Red Sox' riches Notes: Chris Young will start in center until Jackie Bradley Jr. returns Bradley placed on paternity leave list David Ortiz, Xander Bogaerts lead the way in All-Star voting Box score: Red Sox 6, Orioles 2 More Red Sox coverage

The power Betts generates — he now has 12 homers and 40 RBIs — has been the source of many oohs and aahs from teammates and opponents. His fast hands create a power stroke that’s unusual for a player of Betts’s size. But the leadoff homer in the first, which was followed by a homer from Dustin Pedroia, set a quick tone for the Red Sox on a night when Eduardo Rodriguez made his season debut.

Not a bad way to take the pressure off right away.


It’s true that Betts had a significant night. Looking at the bigger picture, the right fielder looks as if he’s on his way to a significant career.

At age 23, there doesn’t seem to be any limits on what he could be.

And to think Betts had not been happy with his season before the game.

“I feel I haven’t been consistent,” Betts said. “I’ll have a good game and then I’ll go 0 for 20. One game is one game, but I just need to put it together for 15 games.

“I mean I feel all right. Before today, I wasn’t feeling that great. It surprised me that I hit home runs to center and right because left field is my forte. This is probably the best night I’ve ever had. First time I’ve ever done that. I was able to make a [defensive] play for Robbie Ross.”


And when he got up in the ninth inning with a chance for a fourth home run, he said, “I was more concerned with getting a fourth hit than a home run. A home run would have been nice, but I wasn’t up there trying to hit one because they were a grand slam away. If we had a bigger lead, I might have approached it differently.”

His extraordinary night started with a homer to center against hard-throwing Kevin Gausman on a 1-and-0 pitch. He hit the second homer in the second inning to left field on a 2-and-0 pitch from Gausman. In the seventh inning, he hit the trifecta against hard-throwing Dylan Bundy, the first opposite-field homer of his career. He became the first Red Sox leadoff hitter to hit three home runs in one game.

On nights like these you wonder, where is Betts’s career going? Will it be among the most significant careers we’ve seen by a young Red Sox hitter? Is it Nomar-esque? Is it Tony C.? Is it Fred Lynn? Jim Rice?

And to top it off, he made a great diving catch in right-center to end the seventh inning.

Video: Betts’ diving catch

He’s got middle-of-the-order numbers. He attributes that to the Red Sox lineup being superb 1-9, allowing him to drive in runs because the bottom of the order has been getting on base.


He’s got the defense and the baserunning to go with it.

Betts has been overshadowed recently by Bradley’s 29-game hitting streak and Xander Bogaerts, who extended his streak to 24 games Tuesday night. But make no mistake, Betts doesn’t have to take a back seat to either player.

Think about what he’s been able to do in a short time. He went from not being invited to Red Sox camp in 2014 to becoming an outfielder almost seamlessly.

Scouts who watched him loved him as a second baseman. But Dustin Pedroia was in his way and Pedroia had a long-term contract, which meant Betts would have to change positions or be stuck forever.

When he finally did change positions, it looked as if he’d been playing the outfield his entire career. When infielders have to relinquish their position, it’s usually met with reservation. But in this case, Betts accepted his fate and he decided if he was going to switch from second to the outfield, he was going to be the best outfielder.

He played center field last season and did a great job manning the biggest center field in baseball. But as Bradley kept getting better and more consistent as a hitter, it became obvious that Bradley would take his center field job back, so Betts moved to right.

At Fenway, playing right requires a great athlete to cover the ground and its strange nooks and crannies. It also requires a strong throwing arm, so Betts has passed all of the tests.


We throw around the word “special” with Bogaerts and Bradley and we use it often to describe Betts. If his power keeps emerging, he’ll be in the conversation with Mike Trout, because he has that type of talent.

OK, is there something he can’t do? Well, yes.

He’s 4 for 32 against lefthanded pitching, three of those hits being home runs.

Why he struggles against lefties is anyone’s guess. It’s one of those quirks of baseball.

This was Betts’s greatest game, but you just get the feeling it won’t be his last.

To sum it all up... https://t.co/hyfuLJT8ET — Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) June 1, 2016

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.