BALTIMORE — David Price signed with the Boston Red Sox last winter for the most lucrative contract ever given to a pitcher. The terms of his deal — $217 million for seven years — tend to eclipse any other reason people will accept for his decision.

“It’s the youth that we have, the core group of guys that we have,” Price said. “People don’t care — it’s just 217; it’s a number, but that’s why I’m here.”

Price was speaking in the visitors’ clubhouse this week at Camden Yards, where the Red Sox scored 29 runs in splitting a four-game series with the Orioles. He could have pointed to all corners of the room to illustrate his point. Dynamic young hitters surround him, and they should for years to come.

The Red Sox had the best record in the American League through Thursday, at 32-22, and led the majors in runs, with six per game. Through the first third of the season, they have scored far more runs than they had at the same point in each of their recent title years (2004, 2007 and 2013). Only one A.L. team comes within a run of Boston’s per-game average, and the Red Sox are hitting .296.