Red Sox' Mookie Betts homers three times after Make-A-Wish request

July 27 (UPI) -- Boston Red Sox star Mookie Betts made good on a home run request from a boy from the Make-A-Wish foundation by hitting three bombs against the New York Yankees.

The reigning American League MVP hit the trio of long balls during the Red Sox's 10-5 win Friday at Fenway Park in Boston.

Betts met with 10-year-old Nico Sapienza before the game. Sapienza has Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

His wish was to meet Betts and attend a Yankees-Red Sox game. He also toured Fenway Park. He asked Betts to hit a homer against the Red Sox's biggest rival.

"I'm glad he came," Betts told reporters. "He was our good luck charm. He's a great kid. I think him and his family had fun down in BP, and I think if I can kind of use the platform that I have to make people smile like that, then I know I've done something well."

The Red Sox star fulfilled Sapienza's wish in his first at-bat of Friday's game. He settled in against Yankees starter James Paxton as the first batter in the bottom of the first frame. Paxton earned an 0-2 lead in the count, before tossing a 96 mph fastball for the eighth offering of the exchange. Betts belted the fastball over the left field fence for his 16th homer of the season.

The 362-foot solo shot had an exit velocity of 104 mph and left the field in 6.5 seconds, according to Statcast. Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez also homered in the inning, giving the Red Sox a 3-0 edge in the first frame.

Betts returned to the plate for his second at-bat in the bottom of the third inning. He earned a 2-0 lead in the count in that exchange with Paxton, before the Yankees starter worked the count full. Paxton eventually tossed in another 96 mph fastball.

Betts blasted the offering over the left field fence for a 389-foot solo homer. The blast had an exit velocity of 102 mph and left the field in 4.5 seconds.

Martinez helped Boston pile on with an RBI triple in the third frame. Betts came up to the plate again in the fourth frame, delivering his third homer of the game. That time he mashed a 3-1 Paxton cutter over the left field fence for a two-run homer. The 375-foot bomb had an exit velocity of 103 mph and left the field in 6.2 seconds, while reaching a maximum height of 135 feet.

New York added its first run on a Luke Voit single in the sixth inning. Betts drove in another run on an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth frame. Rafael Devers then plated Betts on an RBI double, pushing Boston's lead to 9-1.

The Yankees added two runs in the top of the seventh inning, while Boston plated one run in the bottom of the frame. New York posted another two runs in the top of the ninth inning, but couldn't close the gap against its rival.

Betts was 4-for-5 with five RBIs and four runs scored in the win. He is now hitting .289 with 18 homers and 54 RBIs this season for the Red Sox.