Red Sox Notes: Obtaining Record ‘Special Moment’ For Rafael Devers
Rafael Devers was adamant he wasn’t thinking about the Boston Red Sox record he set when launching a home run off Taj Bradley in the top of the fourth inning Monday night at Tropicana Field.
The bat flip from the Red Sox star suggested otherwise.
Devers said he was just happy to come through in that moment and play a key role in Boston’s 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. But Devers admitted that once he made it back to the dugout after his two-run blast, it settled in more that he became the first Red Sox player in franchise history to homer in six consecutive games.
“In the moment, I wasn’t thinking about that,” Devers told reporters through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “I don’t usually think about records. In the game, for me it was most about hitting the ball well with men in scoring position and I know I’ve been struggling in the past with men in scoring position. For me to be able to help the team get ahead with two runs at that point, it was a great moment.
“But yes, of course, when I got to the dugout and I saw my teammates, it was a special moment for sure.”
Devers hit his fifth consecutive home run Sunday in a win over the St. Louis Cardinals, which put him in an exclusive group with six others Red Sox players, including Ted Williams.
But belting an opposite-field round-tripper 382 feet put him in even rarer company. The last player to have a homer streak like Devers was Mike Trout when he had a home run in seven consecutive games two seasons ago.
“I’m very proud to be in that conversation with (Trout) and in that position,” Devers said. “Obviously, we know the type of superstar he is. He’s a future Hall of Famer. To be in the same level with him is pretty nice.”
While Devers, who battled injuries early in the season, has racked up the home runs as of late, he isn’t exactly on a tear at the plate. During his homer streak, he only has one game where he has collected another hit.
And Red Sox manager Alex Cora believes Devers isn’t at his peak at the moment when he steps into the batter’s box.
“He keeps making adjustments, he’s grinding through it and little by little he’s feeling comfortable,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “He’s not there yet. I don’t think he’s there yet. … You act surprised, but that’s how we feel. Just a matter of keep grinding, keep working on your swing, keep working on your timing and good things are going to happen. He knows he needs to be more consistent and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Devers is in agreement with Cora as he is prioritizing fine-tuning his swing over chasing more records.
“I’ve only been hitting one hit per game and that’s not me,” Devers said. “I’d like to get more singles and I feel like I’ve been missing a lot of my pitches. So, for me to be myself, I need to get more hits per game instead of one per game. Of course, they were very important hits, but at the same time, I’m not up there yet.”
more red sox
Here are more notes from Monday’s Red Sox-Rays game:
— Tanner Houck was much sharper this time around against the Rays after he labored through 5 2/3 innings in a loss last week to Tampa Bay. The righty tossed seven scoreless innings as he allowed just two hits and walked one while he fanned five. Houck has now pitched at least seven innings three times on the campaign.
“That he threw 112 in the last one and he faced the same team and he dominated,” Cora said on what impressed his the most about Houck’s outing. “He threw strikes. He kept them off balanced, we played good defense and that’s what horses do. They understand where we’re at bullpen-wise and you got to go seven and he did.”
— Pitching certainly is Boston’s strength this season. The Red Sox recorded their league-leading seventh shutout of the season after only having five all of last year, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
— Winning at Tropicana Field hadn’t been easy for the Red Sox as of late with the indoor ballpark becoming a house of horrors. Monday’s victory was just the second time in the last 17 games at the Trop that the Red Sox came away with a win.
“All around, one of the best games we’ve played here,” Cora said.
— Devers was also involved in the defensive play of the game in the bottom of the seventh. With Boston’s infield shaded left, Devers took a backhanded feed from shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela at second base and threw on to first for a 6-5-3 inning-ending double play. Cora said it’s a play the two practice every day.
“The double play for me was a very important play,” Devers said. “We’ve been making a lot of errors. We haven’t been communicating as well and for us to make that play, in that situation, it was huge.”
— The Red Sox and Rays continue their three-game series Tuesday with Cooper Criswell expected to take the mound against his former team. First pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET and you can catch complete coverage on NESN starting at 5:30 p.m.