Rafael Devers Shatters Red Sox Franchise Home Run Record With Six Blasts In Six Games.

When the Red Sox decided to build around Rafael Devers, they expected this.

After years of trading away young talent, cycling through aging veterans, and revamping the farm system, the Red Sox front office decided to pay one man: Devers. Entering the first season of a 10-year $313,350,000 deal, Boston needed its young slugger to carry the lineup.

Six home runs in six games should do the trick.

The 3B broke a franchise record Monday as he went opposite field for a 382-foot two-run bomb in the fourth inning en route to a 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, hitting six home runs in six consecutive games. Devers started his streak last Thursday against the same team he broke it against before homering three straight times over the weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dominican infielder did not break this record with fluky hits or windy days; four of his six long balls traveled over 400 feet as the ball looked like a grapefruit.

Devers finds himself in this position partly from his new approach to the plate. He struggled to lay off high fastballs when he first broke into the league and swung at too many pitches. However, he matured his at-bats, is second on the team in walks with 21 on the year, and leads the team in on-base percentage amongst the starters.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the home runs were the only thing going right. The Red Sox dropped two of three against the Rays last week before losing the first two games of their series against the Cardinals and falling below .500 for the first time since the season’s first week. The Red Sox won their last two games and sit at 25-24, a half-game back of the third wild card spot with over a quarter of the season played.

Devers’ home run total doubled during his scorching run at the plate, as he smashed ten long bombs on the year so far, one behind Tyler O’Neil on the roster along with 23 RBIs.