Rafael Devers Quietly Made Major League History On Thursday
BOSTON (CBS) -- Rafael Devers' first eight games in the major leagues have not just been hugely impressive - they've been kind of historic.
The Red Sox third baseman launched a towering home run into the Green Monster seats on Thursday night against the Chicago White Sox, his third so far in a Red Sox uniform. The homer was his 13th hit in his first eight games.
With that first-inning blast, Devers became the first player in modern major league history (since 1900) to get three homers and 13 hits his first eight career games before turning 21, according to ESPN Stats & Info with help from the Elias Sports Bureau.
Devers turns 21 years old on October 24.
Boston Herald photographer Matt Stone snapped a photo of Devers' home run ball as it landed in the Monster seats. The photo went viral during the game, as the ball prompted a wide range of reactions from the fans trying to snag it:
Overall, Devers is slashing .406/.486/.750 with three homers and six RBIs in just eight games so far in his major league career. He is certainly due for a regression at some point, but there's no denying that the young third baseman has provided the Red Sox lineup with a real spark. Devers, along with trade deadline addition Eduardo Nunez, have given the offense the boost they will continue to need down the stretch of the regular season.
