BOSTON — Rafael Devers blasted a 404-foot three-run homer to put the Red Sox ahead 3-0 against the Rays in the third inning Monday.
Devers has been dealing with an arm or wrist injury that the Red Sox aren’t acknowledging. But he continues to produce anyway. He stroked three more hits, including his 108.3 mph homer to center field, in Game 4 of the ALDS. He helped the Red Sox beat the Rays 6-5.
Boston advanced to the American League Championship Series and will play either the White Sox or Astros. Game 1 is Friday.
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“This kid since 2017, it’s all he knows, right? Playoffs and be good in the playoffs,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
Cora pointed back to 2017, when the Red Sox and Astros faced each other in the ALDS. Cora then served as Houston’s bench. Devers went 4-for-11 (.364) with two homers and five RBIs in four games that series.
“When we played him in ‘17, he was always smiling,” Cora said. “There was no pressure, and he put great at-bats. Even the last game here, he hit that inside-the-park home run against Ken Giles, I think it was, and it seemed like he was born to play in October.”
Born to play in October sounds about right. Devers is 20-for-65 (.308) with a .387 on-base percentage, .538 slugging percentage, .925 OPS, five home runs, 14 runs and 20 RBIs in 20 career postseason games.
“He did it in ‘18, and then this year that last game of the regular season kind of like set the tone for the team to keep going and keep pushing. And what he did today, that was a great swing,” Cora said. “He was under control the whole night, put good at-bats, played great defense.”
Devers led Boston to a 7-5 comeback win over the Nationals on the final day of the regular season to clinch the top Wild Card spot. His two-run homer against Washington in the ninth put Boston ahead.
“He’s only 24. Twenty-five in 10 days, I think,” Cora added about Devers who turns 25 on Oct. 24. ”I always said that there’s a lot of young players, very talented players, but this kid, he’s still young, been there, done that. He has a World Series ring. He’s dominated October and we’re very proud of him.”
Devers went 6-for-20 (.300) with two homers, four runs and six RBIs in four games vs. the Rays.
“When I signed here and I looked at the roster and I started looking at their pages and their profiles as far as like whatever their stats and I was beyond impressed with our third base side of our infield,” Kiké Hernández said. “I was like how come nobody talks more about these two guys? Like these numbers are ridiculous. Like nobody’s talking about them.
“Being in the National League, especially on the West Coast, you never get to see them play or really pay attention to what’s going on in the American League,” Hernández added. “I knew they were good players, but I didn’t know they were that good. Spring training was a pleasure to watch those two guys. In the batter’s box. They’re as dangerous as they get. It was fun seeing them, how they prepared and how they went about their business. Getting to know them, it was a pleasure. Getting to see Raffy for 162 was special. Then people are talking about what’s going on with him and his health and all this, but he keeps finding a way to get the job done. And he came up huge for us tonight.”
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