Joy of Sox with Devers
Kid makes us all smile
The introduction and most of the first two chapters of the sportswriters’ handbook states without any ambiguity that it’s mandatory to work yourself into a lather whenever the team you cover loses.
RED SOX BEAT Michael Silverman
Particularly when that team — the Red Sox, let’s say — loses a game of their lead over their closest and oldest rivals, which is what happened to the Sox last night against the Yankees.
And when the ace of that team you cover — let’s use Chris Sale’s name — is chiefly responsible for the 4-3 loss, then the smart and only call is to launch a salvo of fire and fury that questions the big guy’s ability to win the big games.
If the team ran into an out by attempting a stolen base in the ninth inning as Brock Holt did, look out below — it is time to mock the baserunner, coaches and manager for being clueless about the game (but do not mention name of Dave Roberts if it does not fit the narrative).
And then there are times to chuck the guide to good sports writing. Last night was that night. Let’s talk about Rafael Devers instead. The amazing Rafael Devers. I know Andrew Benintendi was an instant success when he arrived last year, and Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury and Nomar Garciaparra all wasted no time proving they were legit big leaguers.
But Devers, who still is just 300 days into his 20th year of life, is starting to separate himself.
Who among us thought it would make perfect sense and, frankly, would come as no surprise if Devers had marked his first encounter with New York’s newly named closer Dellin Betances in the ninth inning last night with a home run to tie the game?
After all, the home run by Devers in his first matchup with New York’s most-recent closer Aroldis Chapman last weekend in the Bronx, is still impossible to forget, still seemingly carrying into left-center field, a poke that likely helped lead to Chapman’s demotion yesterday by Yankees manager Joe Girardi from the closer role.
Devers, alas, could not summon a repeat performance against Betances. He struck out.
That would have been just a little too good.
But in his previous at-bat, Devers had cranked a home run to dead-center that caromed off the wall and into the stands for a ground-rules dinger.
It’s still hard to get used to the deceptively powerful oppositefield flick Devers has, the one that makes it look as if he’s swishing a corked toothpick.
The home run was his second in as many nights. His fifth in his last six games. His eighth in his 20th career game.
No hitter — well, going back to 1913 — has ever hit eight home runs in his first 20 games before turning 21.
And now that he has a home run in three consecutive games against the Yankees, the stat-seekers discovered that the only other big league hitter to do that before turning 21 was . . . was . . . was Babe Ruth. Hmmm. “That’s the first time I’m hearing about it,” said Devers, his usual smile spreading just a wee bit wider when he heard the news. “I just try to treat every team the same, and I plan on playing the same way against any team I face.”
That bodes well for the Red Sox, who are running out of room on their postgame media notes for Devers’ feats — a switch to 81⁄2-by14 paper is forthcoming.
Here are two more noteworthy moments from the whirling Devers:
• Ted Williams and Tony Conigliaro are the only other hitters in the last 20 years to homer in consecutive games at Fenway Park before turning 21.
• No other Red Sox hitter (in the last 100 years) hit safely in 17 of his first 20 games before turning 21. Only two others have turned that trick — ever in all of baseball. They’re both in the Hall of Fame: Roberto Clemente and Pudge Rodriguez.
No wonder that even after the loss in the Red Sox clubhouse, there was not quite the usual sackcloth-and-ashes act when Devers’ name came up.
“It’s hard not to smile every time he does something out there,” said Sale. “You see a kid out there playing the game and he’s playing it the right way. Playing it with a lot of heart.”
Said Jackie Bradley Jr.: “He’s very special. He’s been doing everything you possibly can do. What more can you ask for? He’s been able to step up in big situations, and he’s handled it like he’s a veteran.” Devers wants to change nothing. He shouldn’t either. “Yeah, I’ve always played that way my entire life,” he said. “For how young I am, I’ve been playing this game for a little while now. Just trying to give the best of me each day.”
So far, his best is way better than good enough.