Though the Red Sox suffered a heartbreaking 7-5 loss against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, fans were still given a reason to celebrate as Rafael Devers recorded his 200th career home run in the fourth inning here at Fenway Park.
Red Sox' Rafael Devers hits a three-run home run in the fourth inning Sunday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)AP
“It’s consistency,” said manager Alex Cora of Devers’ accomplishment. “Looking at his age and what he’s done in this ballpark shows that he’s really good at what he does. To go straight center on that pitch is impressive.”
The 399-foot, 106.7-mph blast made him the 11th player in team history to record 200th career home runs. At 27 years and 306 days old, Devers is the youngest player to reach that mark for the franchise. Jim Rice was the previous youngest Red Sox hitter to do it, accomplishing it at 28 years and 62 days old.
The milestone can be viewed here.
The other 10 Red Sox members of that previously mentioned list are Ted Williams (521), David Ortiz (483), Carl Yastrzemski (452), Rice (382), Dwight Evans (379), Manny Ramirez (274), Mo Vaughn (230), Bobby Doerr (223), Jimmie Foxx (222), and Rico Petrocelli (210).
“I feel happy to have reached that goal,” Devers said (through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez). “This also feels awesome because so many great baseball players have come through this organization. And this is one of the best organizations in baseball, and for me, being put into that conversation is great.”
During his debut season in 2017, Devers recorded 63 hits in 222 plate appearances, featuring 14 doubles, 10 home runs, and 30 RBIs. And it’s only increased since then as the 27-year-old recorded a career-high 115 RBIs in 2019 and 38 blasts in 2021. Now through 117 games this season, Devers is one away from earning his fourth 30-home run season.
Cora still remembers when this impressive journey started.
“(Devers) has been really good since they called him up in 2017,” Cora said. “His first home run was in Seattle to straight center. I’ve seen a lot of them, and I’m proud of that. You see the things he’s doing right now, this might be one of his best offensive seasons in his career ... and there’s more (to come).”
