Cishek, a sidewinding righthander from Falmouth, has limited righthanders to a .153/.224/.265 line this year, making Betts’ game-winning homer all the more impressive. It marked Betts’ second mammoth hit in as many days, coming one day after his run-scoring hit with two outs in the ninth set the stage for Dustin Pedroia’s three-run homer.

Through Saturday, the Red Sox were 3-37 when trailing after seven innings. They are now 5-37 in such contests, having claimed their second dramatic victory in as many days as a pitcher’s duel of immensely talented lefthanders Eduardo Rodriguez of the Sox and James Paxton of the Mariners concluded with a game-tying eighth inning solo homer by Aaron Hill and a game-winning ninth-inning homer by Mookie Betts off of Steve Cishek in a 2-1 win .


Those crucial plays at the end of games come at a time when Betts is starting to make his mark early in games like few others. He now has six homers as the first batter of the first inning for the Red Sox, second-most in franchise history.

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He’s hitting .306 with a .348 OBP and .543 slugging mark, he’s on pace for 34 homers and 109 RBIs, which would make him the first player ever with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs out of the leadoff spot in big league history, he’s tracking towards 26 steals (and grades, according to Fangraphs, as the third most impactful runner in the AL), and he’s credited with 15 Defensive Runs Saved by Baseball Information Solutions, which ranks third in the AL.

Betts has joined Mike Trout as the preeminent five-tool players in the American League (Ian Desmond can also make a case for inclusion in the conversation). Increasingly, he looks like an MVP candidate, at a time when he ranks fourth in the AL in Wins Above Replacement (4.8) and when he continues to elevate his game.


“He’s emerging as one of the elite players in the game, for sure,” manager John Farrell told reporters.

Since his struggle out of the gate over the season’s first month, he’s hitting .331/.371/.599 with 18 homers, 45 extra-base hits, and 10 steals in 73 games since May 7, a dazzling array of feats that have made him as responsible for the Red Sox’ continued contention as any other player on the team.

Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexspeier.