Devers' 2nd HR leaves Farrell, Tito in awe

Rookie just 3rd Red Sox player with multihomer game before turning 21

August 14th, 2017

BOSTON -- again turned heads Monday night not just by clearing the fence, but with the way he did it.
The Red Sox's rookie third baseman clubbed two more homers in a 7-3 loss to the Indians at Fenway and left both managers in awe by what he did on the second blast.
While Devers made news Sunday night at Yankee Stadium by smashing a 102.8-mph fastball from for a game-tying homer, his equalizer in the fourth inning Monday was on a 79.3-mph knuckle curve from that looked headed for the dirt.
Instead, Devers made like a golfer and smoked it into the Indians' bullpen in right field.

"The fact that he hit a breaking ball that was basically on his shoe tops, to hit it out of the ballpark, that's very unique for any hitter of any age and it's impressive," said Red Sox manager John Farrell.
"The second [home run] the ball was going to bounce, [catcher ] went down to block it," said Indians manager Terry Francona. "They got a really good young hitter that's kind of in that zone right now."
Devers homered in his first two at-bats on Monday, giving him six in his first 16 Major League games. The only Red Sox player since 1913 to hit that many long balls in the first 16 games of a career was Sam Horn, who smashed seven over that same span in 1987.
The left-handed hitter also became just the third player in Red Sox history to have a multihomer game before his 21st birthday, joining Ted Williams and Tony Conigliaro.
"You work so hard, it's for a reason," said Devers. "I was playing well in the Minors this year. It's nice to see the results come here, too."
In the second, Devers went the other way nicely on a 93.5-mph fastball by Bauer and lofted it just over the Green Monster for a solo homer.
"I've always swung like that," said Devers. "I don't try to put anything extra on it. I'm not trying to break the ball or anything like that. I'm just trying to put a good swing on a pitch."
The most dramatic moment of Devers' young career came in that Sunday finale in the Bronx, when his equalizer in the top of the ninth was just the second homer Chapman has allowed to a lefty in his career and the hardest pitch for a home run by any player since MLB started tracking pitch velocity in 2008.

Devers brought his show back to Boston on Monday and is now slashing .339/.397/.677.
"What we're seeing the last two days from Rafael Devers is nothing short of impressive," said Farrell.