Rafael Devers made Red Sox history. Yes, that’s right. No Boston hitter in the franchise’s 123-year history has accomplished the slugger’s recent feat.
Red Sox slugger makes team history
In the bottom of the fourth inning, with Boston up 5-0 against the Rays, Devers smashed the ball into the left field stands for a home run, his sixth consecutive bomb, a club record. The homer broke a seven-man tie, moving Devers past Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams and Jose Canseco.
Rafael Devers is the only player in Red Sox history to homer in six consecutive games. pic.twitter.com/TOssP5sAKy
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 20, 2024
In his first at-bat of the second inning, the third baseman grounded out pitcher Taj Bradley. Devers saw just two pitches in his second at-bat. His explosive power reached 382 feet and gave the Red Sox a 3-0 lead. Devers hit just four home runs in the first 31 games of the season. After six games, the slugger now has 10 bombs.
As of May 20, the complete list of games with the most consecutive home runs in Red Sox history is below.
Rafael Devers, 2024 – 6
Bobby Dalbec, 2020 – 5
Jose Canseco, 1995 – 5
George Scott, 1977 – 5
Dick Stewart, 1963-5
Ted Williams, 1957 – 5
Jimmie Foxx, 1940 – 5
How to stack Devers
Devers’ home run streak isn’t just impressive in Red Sox history. This is a rare feat in the entire baseball world. The MLB record for most consecutive games with bombs is eight, set by three different players: Dale Long (1956), Don Mattingly (1987), and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993). Established.
Only six players in history have hit one in seven consecutive tournaments. That group includes Mike Trout (2022), Joey Votto (2021) and Barry Bonds (2004). In total, only nine of his players are ranked higher than Devers.
Rafael Devers is two games away from tying Ken Griffey Jr., Don Mattingly and Dale Long for the most consecutive game home runs (8) 🤯
If he scores the yards tomorrow against Tampa Bay, he’ll join six others with seven straight. https://t.co/4alpqdPtKy
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) May 21, 2024
Devers keeps hitting
Devers’ record-breaking week comes in the midst of a strong stretch for the Dominican Republic native. The corner infielder went from under .190 to over .280 in less than a month.
Devers missed three consecutive games due to injury in April. Since returning from his absence due to his shoulder injury, Laffey has hit .288, on-base percentage, .652 in May, and has an OPS of over 1.000.
Rafael Devers 6 consecutive games HR:
5/15 408 feet, 110.5 mph
5/16 340 feet, 99.9 mph
5/17 443 feet, 166 mph
5/18 431 ft, 166.6 mph
5/19 404 feet, 166.8 mph
5/20 382 feet, 165.7 mph pic.twitter.com/I2rfX0l0m6
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) May 20, 2024
He will be looking to extend his winning streak to seven games when Boston takes on Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. But whether he extends his winning streak or not, Rafael Devers has already made Red Sox history.
Main photo credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
