The Red Sox hit six home runs Thursday night, a feat they hadn't accomplished since Sept. 8, 2009. 

They also managed to go deep in back-to-back-to-back at-bats for the first time since Aug. 13 of last season.

But the impression left behind in the Sox' 10-4 win over the Orioles encompassed much more than just the litany of long balls. It was also about the who and the how.

"That's a tough one," Red Sox captain Jason Varitek said when asked which of the home runs were most impressive. "I'm saying a tie."

Varitek's diplomacy was understandable. Many candidates, all deserving. Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Josh Reddick, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury all left the park in the kind of impressive fashion that leads to the kind of postgame conversation that stretches just beyond the final score or the fact the Sox find themselves back in first place.

What the home runs did was pave the way for a poll.

A total of 19 members of the Red Sox organization were asked the question, "Which of the home runs was most impressive?" The results (discounting one tie):

Six votes: Reddick's blast to straightaway right field.

Four votes: Ortiz' home run to center field.

Four votes: Jacoby Ellsbury's pose-striking moon shot down the right-field line.

Three votes: Dustin Pedroia's homer onto the parking garage beyond the left-field wall.

One vote: Saltalamacchia finishing off the three straight homers with a shot into the Monster seats.

But despite the victory for Reddick, each home run offered a sense of significance. Certainly, the combined distance was impressive, but so were the circumstances that served as the foundation for each homer. 

DUSTIN PEDROIA (418 feet)

"David's was nice, but Adrian was pretty impressive. On top of that, you have Pedey who swings at a pitch up here [at his head] and hits it across the street. Between them is tough. I'll go with Pedey. He hit a ball over his head." -- Saltalamacchia

"Pedroia, because it gave us the lead." -- Gonzalez

Pedroia hits a 3-1, 91 mph fastball from starter Jake Arrieta over the left field wall and onto the Landsdowne Street parking garage. Besides the three-run blast giving the Sox their first lead, the homer was notable for fact that it came off a pitch that was parallel with Pedroia's chin.

What we've seen of late is the Pedroia many expected all along. Since June 1, the second baseman is hitting .344 with a .456 on-base percentage and .566 slugging percentage. 

He also has hit five homers during that span. In all, he has totaled a superior OPS to either Ortiz or Kevin Youkilis for the stretch, with no second baseman in the majors coming close to the 1.022 clip.

JACOBY ELLSBURY (405 feet)

"If you ask Pedey, he would say his was. The way Ellsbury's body language was, he had to hit it at least 550 feet. To get it out to center is a poke. If I have to pick one I have to go with our leadoff guy, Ells." -- Darnell McDonald

"It would be between Ellsbury and Reddick. Reddick crushed that. I have to go with Ellsbury." -- Ortiz

Ellsbury continued his power surge by increasing a career-high HR total by launching his 11th homer just inside the right-field foul pole. It was the outfielder's sixth-longest blast of the season, but sure seemed like his most prodigious. 

In 2009, however, when he hit eight homers, the home run would have been his third-longest of the season.

It's no huge leap of faith to suggest Ellsbury is growing into his power potential.

"I just feel relaxed. Relaxed, I think that's the biggest thing at the plate," he said. "Just going out there with confidence, being relaxed and seeing the ball and having a solid approach. Having a solid approach and good balance usually result in good swings and good results."

ADRIAN GONZALEZ (421 feet)

While Gonzalez might have not garnered any votes for among those polled, plenty suggested that the first baseman should be a finalist for the owner of the most impressive home run.

The lefty hitter absolutely tore into an Arrieta 1-2 slider on the outside edge. Gonzalez' line drive appeared to still be rising when hitting off the center-field wall directly above the 379-foot marker.

The homer -- Gonzalez' 17th of the season -- was his longest of the season and first to center field since joining the Red Sox. (He has nine to left and eight to right.)

DAVID ORTIZ (424 feet)

"I'll go with Adrian's. Wait, David's was 400 feet. I'll take Ortiz because he's the captain of the Home Run Derby and that is the tiebreaker." -- Rich Hill

"Ortiz. Lefty on a lefty in center field. That was pretty good." -- Carl Crawford

Ortiz' homer was the longest of the night, and third-farthest for the Red Sox this season. But what truly punctuated the moment was the fact it was yet another hit against a left-hander.

Ortiz managed to turn around a 94 mph fastball from Baltimore reliever Pedro Viola in a hurry, sending the pitch over the center-field fence for the designated hitter's 145th Fenway Park bomb (tying Bobby Doerr for first place all-time at the Sox' home park).

Ortiz is hitting .326 against left-handers with four home runs. It was his first HR vs. a southpaw since May 31. 

JOSH REDDICK (412 feet)

"Reddick. That was pretty far. He hit it the deep part of straightaway right field and it went over the fence by 70 or 80 feet." -- Dave Magadan.

"Reddick. It seemed like the farthest." -- Tim Bogar

It wouldn't seem the slightly built outfielder would be able to put the kind of punch behind a swing that would allow for the kind of blast he exhibited when reaching the right-field seats. But this homer was hardly an aberration.

All three of Reddick's big league homers have been 405 feet and beyond, with the 180-pounder having already hit 14 homers in just 52 games with the Pawtucket Red Sox this season.

What is truly noteworthy is the fact the homer came off a left-handed pitcher. After hitting just .200 vs. southpaws in Triple-A, Reddick is now 8-for-11 against lefties, with the home run serving as his first extra-base hit in such a situation.

JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA (388 feet)

"Salty, 0-2 count after two guys already hit it." -- Bobby Jenks

The catcher certainly can hit it farther -- having owned a 421-footer earlier this season -- but the circumstances were encouraging nonetheless. 

With the pressure of following two straight homers staring at him in the face, along with an 0-2 count, Saltalamacchia adjusted to another left-hander trying to bury him inside. The backstop made Viola pay for not getting a 94 mph fastball in enough, putting the pitch in the second row of the seats atop the left-field wall.

It was a step in the right direction for Saltalamacchia, who was hitting just .198 with two strikes. With his two hits Thursday night, he now is hitting a season-high .257 while allowing the Sox' catching duo to trail just Detroit in terms of OPS for the position among all teams in the American League.