A leader on and off the field, Rafael Devers continues to cement his place in the Red Sox’ storied history.
The eighth-year veteran connected on a solo home run in the fifth inning of Saturday’s 5-0 win over the Kansas City Royals, moving him past Red Sox Hall of Famer, Jason Varitek, for 11th all-time in franchise history with 194.
“I’m glad we’re wearing the same jersey because obviously, we’ve seen the pitches that he can hit (and) the amount of pop that he has,” Red Sox starting pitcher Kutter Crawford said after Saturday’s game. “That’s Raffy, that’s what he does and it’s awesome. I’m glad we’re on the same team, he made a great play there (at third) earlier today, him and (Dominic Smith at first).
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers follows through on a home run against the New York Yankees during seventh inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in New York
“(Devers is) must-watch TV. Whenever he’s at bat, you need to be on the top step.”
The Red Sox general manager Alex Cora confirmed the team was aware of the historical significance of Devers’ home run and had been discussing it in the leadup to today’s game. Varitek currently works with the Red Sox organization as the team’s game-planning coordinator.
“I haven’t had the chance to talk to (Varitek) about it yet, Alex (Cora) told me about it a couple of days ago,” Devers said after the game.
The 27-year-old third baseman now has 22 home runs on the season, tying him with Josh Naylor of the Cleveland Guardians for sixth overall in the American League. Batting at .291 on the season, Devers is also third in the AL in OPS and on pace for a new career-best with .956 through 82 games played.
“Raffy is the perfect definition of a Red Sox,” said Red Sox first baseman Dominic Smith. “He comes out every day, no excuses, he wants to play. He never shies away from the big moment and he works. He comes in early, he works on his defense, he works on his offense and he’s a great leader. He might not be the most vocal leader, but he leads by example and he does talk too as well.
“That’s what you out of the face of the franchise, he’s still got a lot more to give to the game, he’s very talented and I think that selfless attitude that he brings on an everyday basis is kind of rare when you have such a talent like that. Raffy, everything that he does out there is very deserved and he’s going to continue to put some of these records away, (but) I know he wants some more championships.”
