Boston Red Sox star Rafael Devers has been a lone bright spot for the team so far this season. On Sunday night, he etched his name into Red Sox team history books.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Devers launched his 25th home run of the season. It was a two-run shot to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead. That lead ultimately held as Boston took down their arch-rival New York Yankees.
With that home run, the Red Sox star claimed his third 25-homer season. He is now tied with team legends such as Ted Williams and Nomar Garciaparra for the most 25-homer seasons through a player's age 25 season in franchise history.
Williams is one of the greatest players of all time. He won two MVPs and two American League Triple Crown awards in his 19-year career with the Red Sox. Williams hit 521 home runs and holds the highest career on-base percentage in MLB history, all while missing three years to serve in World War II.
Garciaparra does not share Williams' storied career. However, he carved out a more than respectable career in his own right. The shortstop was a first-round pick of Boston in 1994 and played nine seasons there. He drove in nearly 1000 runs in his career spanning 14 seasons.
However, Devers, a free agent in 2024, holds an accomplishment that neither of these two was able to achieve. He brought a World Series title to the Boston Red Sox.
Devers made his debut in 2017 and helped the team win the World Series just a year later. The 25-year-old has 137 home runs in his six-year career thus far.
Other former Red Sox to have three 25-homer seasons through their age 25 seasons are Jim Rice and Tony Conigliaro. Rice spent his entire 16-year career in the city of Boston, winning an MVP in 1979. Rice made his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.
Conigliaro is a sad story in baseball history. The outfielder seemed well on his way to becoming a truly elite player in the league. However, a pitch to the face in 1967 against the California Angels changed his career. The injuries sustained from that incident derailed his career, forcing him to retire at the age of 30.
Follow Us
Subscribe