Boston Red Sox star third baseman, Rafael Devers, etched his name into franchise history on Monday night, as he homered in his sixth consecutive game.
Devers’ homer, which was his 10th of the season, helped propel the Sox to a resounding 5-0 victory over the rival Tampa Bay Rays.
The 25-year-old slugger surpassed a longstanding team record previously held by six different players.
Jimmie Foxx (1940), Ted Williams (1957), Dick Stuart (1963), George Scott (1977), Jose Canseco (1995) and Bobby Dalbec (2020) each homered in five-straight games.
Now, Devers stands alone in the franchise record book with six-straight – and counting…
Reflecting on Devers’ exceptional streak, winning pitcher Tanner Houck marveled, “He’s a freak. A guy that can hit any pitch at any time, and to see what he’s done, I mean, he’s just an incredible player.”
Devers’ accomplishment extends beyond the Red Sox organization, as he becomes the first major leaguer since Mike Trout in 2022 to achieve such a feat.
Speaking through an interpreter, Devers expressed his pride in being mentioned alongside Trout, acknowledging the Angels’ superstar as a future Hall of Famer.
“I’m very proud to be in that conversation with him,” Devers said. “Obviously we know the type of superstar that he is. He’s a future Hall of Famer and superstar, and to be in the same level with him is very nice.”
Despite his extraordinary run, both Devers and Red Sox manager Alex Cora agree that the slugger has yet to reach his peak form at the plate.
Nevertheless, Cora commended Devers for his extraordinary consistency, highlighting the rarity of such a remarkable streak.
“The accomplishment is amazing,” Cora said. “Six days in a row hitting homers … Shoot, I can’t recall how many days in a row I got hits when I played.”
Here’s a closer look at Devers’ impressive streak and the situations the homers came in…
-Monday, May 20 — HR: Devers (10, 4th inning off Bradley, 1 on, 1 out)
-Sunday, May 19 — HR: Devers (9, 6th inning off Fernandez, 1 on, 2 out)
-Saturday, May 18 — HR: Devers (8, 4th inning off Mikolas, 0 on, 1 out)
-Friday, May 17 — HR: Devers (7, 3rd inning off Gibson, 0 on, 1 out)
-Thursday, May 16 — HR: Devers (6, 2nd inning off Littell, 0 on, 0 out)
-Wednesday, May 15 — HR: Devers (5, 6th inning off Maton, P., 0 on, 1 out)
In case you’re wondering – and you know you are – the MLB record for consecutive games with a homer stands at eight.
Remarkably, the feat has been reached three times … Dale Long did it in 1956, followed by Don Mattingly in 1987 and finally Ken Griffey Jr. in 1993.
Devers and the Sox play two more games in Tampa, beginning tonight where they’ll face pitcher Zack Littell.
Interestingly, Rays pitchers have allowed the second-most home runs in the entire American League.
Do you think Devers will extend his streak???