Cora hoping Devers ‘can play here the rest of his career’
BOSTON — Nobody on the planet is hotter at the plate than Rafael Devers.
But when he legged out a first-inning triple during the Sox’ 5-1 win over the Astros on Wednesday night, it almost ruined his night.
“I was tired all game,” he told WEEI in a postgame interview. “First at-bat, triple, not good bro.”
That didn’t stop him from reaching base two more times. He’s now hitting a stunning .458 with a 1.354 OPS during a 12-game hitting streak in which he has 12 extra-base hits.
Overall, Devers leads MLB in hits (52), hard-hit balls (65), doubles (tied, 15), and total bases (tied, 90) while his .340 average is second in the American League.
Since the start of the 2019 season, no player in baseball has more than Devers’ 879 total bases and 217 extra-base hits.
The 25-year-old broke new ground in another way on Wednesday night, when he did his postgame radio interview partially in English. Throughout his six years in the big leagues, the Dominican Republic native has typically done his interviews in Spanish while using a translator.
But when WEEI’S Will Flemming asked Devers a question in Spanish, the third baseman answered in English.
“It makes me proud,” manager Alex Cora said Thursday. “I do believe this kid is going to be very special. He is special, but I think with time people are going to be talking about him. And for him to take that step, it’s very important.”
Cora wants more production from first base: While Devers, Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez are carrying the offense to a resurgence over the last two weeks, Cora is still concerned of the lack of production at every other position. No other player on the Sox has an Ops-plus better than 79 (100 is league average).
“At one point, we expect them to do more offensively,” Cora said. “Obviously you can’t rely on three guys the whole season. It doesn’t work that way at this level. They’re working hard and they’re trying to get to who they are and hopefully they can do that soon.”
The most concerning area has been first base, where Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero have combined to rank 30th in MLB with a .471 OPS.
Surgery for Hernandez: Boston lost one of its best minor league left-handed pitchers. Darwinzon Hernandez suffered a torn meniscus in his knee and underwent surgery on Thursday morning. The team doesn’t have a timetable but is hopeful Hernandez can pitch again this year . ... Michael Wacha, who is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA but has been on the 15-day injured list with left intercostal irritation, will return Friday to start against the Mariners. He could be on a pitch count.