Rafael Devers hits career home run, doubles benchmarks at a historic pace

There’s no denying that Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is a special player. He made that even more apparent after hitting a historic milestone on Wednesday night.

Rafael Devers has been a star for the Red Sox since his debut in 2017. Now in his seventh season in Boston, the talented third baseman continues to produce at a historic pace, with a record-setting hit on Wednesday versus the Reds.

In his 741st game, batting in the bottom of the third, Devers hit an RBI double, the 200th of his career. In doing so, he joins a list with some of the best names to ever play the game as the fifth-fastest player, by games played, to reach 150 home runs and 200 doubles.

He now finds himself just behind only the likes of Chuck Klein (659 games), Albert Pujols (659), Hank Greenberg (679) and Todd Helton (716).

Two players on this short list, Klein and Greenberg, are already Hall of Famers. Helton is getting closer each year, and Pujols will be an automatic first-ballot inductee. That’s good company to be keeping.

Rafael Devers is still producing despite an up-and-down season

2023 has been a tale of two seasons for Devers.

After signing a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension in the offseason, he has continued to produce at the plate, although maybe not at the pace the team and fans had hoped for.

The 26-year-old started the year off with a bang. He hit 10 home runs in April, pacing the Red Sox to one of the top offenses in the league. With all that power, he only managed a .224 batting average, shocking for a career .280 hitter. May was an entirely different month. He hit only three long balls, including the 150th of his career on May 4, but his average improved to a more palatable .263.

What has remained consistent for Devers is his doubles power. He hit seven over the first month of the season and counted six in May, on his way to his 200th last night in front of the Fenway faithful.

With plenty of years left in his career, there will no doubt be many more milestones ahead for Rafael Devers.