Hanley finishes monster April by joining select company

BOSTON -- The baseball soared off Hanley Ramirez's bat at 106 mph, and the helmet came right off his head after a two-run homer over the Green Monster in the bottom of the third inning against Blue Jays right-hander R.A. Dickey on Wednesday.

It was the latest laser shot by Ramirez, and one that came with some history. The homer was the 10th in April by Ramirez, tying David Ortiz for the most in club history before May 1. Ramirez's homer was the biggest hit of the game in a 4-1 victory by the Red Sox.

Statcast, a revolutionary tracking technology, measured the homer at 423 feet.

In 2006, Ortiz belted 10 homers in the first month of the season en route to 54 that year.

And yes, it was fitting that Ortiz was the player Ramirez tied.

"That guy, man, it's crazy how hard he hits the ball, isn't it? Oh my goodness. He reminds me of my younger days," said Ortiz.

Ramirez has been a perfect fit in the cleanup spot in his return to the Red Sox, hitting behind Ortiz and in front of Pablo Sandoval.

"Just my teammates, man," said Ramirez. "When I come in here, everybody's getting ready to go out there and play hard. When you see that, you want to go out and do the same. As soon as I get in here, I get my work in, and when I step on that field, playing next to this guy here to my right, next to [Dustin] Pedroia, it's unbelievable. You just want to be in the right mind, and that's win."

At 98.6 mph, Ramirez has the highest average exit velocity in Major League Baseball among everyday players on at-bats that Statcast has tracked.

"I just came here to help this team win every day, and try to win some championships," Ramirez said. "I prepared myself good in the offseason. All the work I put in in the offseason is coming through right now. I'm feeling good right now."