It wasn't a necessity, of course, but an Opening Day home run for newly minted Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman would have nicely cemented the start of his career in Boston, with whom he signed in February following a nine-year stint with the Houston Astros.

Well, on Thursday, he finally got that first new-club moon shot ... just a few days behind schedule. In the Sox' seventh game of the season vs. the Baltimore Orioles, Bregman began what would become an at-bat explosion for Boston with a gorgeous two-run homer—his first of the year.

Check that out below:

Following Bregman's shining moment, Kristian Campbell and Triston Casas also each hit a home run, bringing Boston's home run total to seven on the season (child's play compared to the torpedo bat-swinging New York Yankees, who are up to 19 homers across five games).

The three homers helped the Red Sox defeat the Orioles 8–4 in Game 3 of the series, winning two of three from their AL East rival. Next up, they'll host the St. Louis Cardinals at home starting Friday at 2:10 p.m. ET

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alex Bregman Kicks Off Red Sox Homer Explosion With First Deep Drive of Boston Career.