When they arrived in Fort Myers for spring training in March, Red Sox manager Alex Cora noticed a different Rafael Devers.
The way the third baseman was becoming more of a leader inside the clubhouse and even drills was resonating. After his first All-Star season in 2021, Devers wasn’t satisfied.
“The way he’s going about his business, it’s different,” Cora said in March. “You can tell. I do believe he understands what he means to the organization and where he’s at in his career. …
“He’s becoming a man, and it’s fun to watch.”
A few months, what Cora observed in spring training is translating on the field, and he’s becoming a superstar in the process, too.
The strides Devers has made in all facets of his game were on full display Sunday in Seattle, where his late heroics helped the Red Sox finish their impressive West Coast trip in emphatic fashion. The third baseman hit a ridiculous two-run home run in the eighth inning, and that was the difference in the Sox’ 2-0 victory as they completed an 8-2 trip in which they won all three of their series.
It was the first time the Red Sox (32-29) won eight games on a West Coast trip since August 1995.
They can thank Devers, who was good last year but is just different this season. That much was clear in the eighth, when the Mariners gave him a chance they surely regretted.
Stuck in a scoreless tie, reliever Paul Sewald was one strike away from ending the inning after he struck out the first two batters, when he faced Rob Refsnyder, who nearly went around on a check swing. But on the next pitch, he hit the Red Sox outfielder on his right arm.
That was a bad idea.
It brought one of the hottest hitters in the game to the plate, and Devers delivered in only a way the blossoming superstar can. Facing an 0-2 count, Sewald threw the third baseman a fastball well off the plate that had no business being swung at. It didn’t matter. Devers extended his swing and sent it with ease over the left-field wall for his 14th home run of the season, a tie-breaking – and ultimately game-winning – two-run blast.
“Unreal,” Cora told reporters in Seattle. “You have to be perfect to hit a ball like that.”
Devers always had the raw talent but now he has the experience of six years in the big leagues to learn more about himself as a hitter and how to adjust to pitchers’ attack plans of him. A year after he struggled to hit fastballs, he’s improved significantly against heaters. And often criticized for chasing pitches like the one he swung at Sunday, Devers is proving that there isn’t much he can’t hit.
Sunday’s decisive hit was the latest example.
“It’s unbelievable,” J.D. Martinez told reporters. “We talk about it all the time. He can cover so many pitches where a normal person can’t. It’s funny because you see him chase balls and it’s like, he’s chasing, but in my mind, he’s hit that pitch out. I’ve seen him do it a million times. It’s impressive.”
Other takeaways from Sunday’s win:
1. Clutch defense helped preserve the victory
Devers has not only continued to improve at the plate, but he’s also flashing the leather at third in a better or more consistent fashion than he ever has.
In a tight game Sunday, those strides were apparent again. Moments after his home run, Devers opened the eighth with one of his finest plays, charging a weak grounder from Jesse Winker, fielding it with his bare hand and firing to first for the out.
“It’s pretty easy to get caught up with what Raffy’s doing hitting-wise, but he’s been so solid at third base,” Refsnyder said.
The clutch defense was apparently contagious, as Refsnyder followed Devers’ web gem with one of his own. Ty France hit a fly ball to the right-center gap that looked destined for extra bases, but Refsnyder made a full-extension diving catch to rob him for one of the Red Sox’ best defensive plays of the season.
“Off the bat, I really didn’t think I had a chance, but it kind of just stayed up there so I’m thankful to get there,” Refsnyder said. “I was pretty pumped up.”
Those plays were instrumental in helping the Red Sox bullpen lock down a win as they completed a one-hit pitching performance led by Kutter Crawford. A night after they blew another save, Tanner Houck recorded his second save in three nights.
2. Kutter Crawford made the most – and then some – of his chance.
Cora couldn’t have asked for anything more from Crawford, the unlikely hero of Sunday’s win.
On paper, the pitching matchup between Robbie Ray, a former Cy Young Award winner, and Crawford, the 26-year-old who has 12 2/3 innings of career big-league experience and making his second career start, was lopsided. But Crawford was up to the task, and gave the Red Sox every chance to win with five shutout innings and just one hit allowed.
Crawford’s command wasn’t the sharpest – 43 of his 83 pitches were strikes, which led to four walks. But he showed poise in getting out of every jam he faced with big strikeouts and relying on his cutter, including an inning-ending punchout of France with two on in the fifth.
“To be able to go out there and pitch the way I pitch and ultimately help the team win and have a happy flight home, that’s a good feeling,” Crawford told reporters.
With Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock both on the injured list until at least June 24, Crawford certainly made a case that he’s deserving of another chance or two.