Red Sox somehow aren’t the ones who did wrong by Rafael Devers in his Fenway return

For nearly a year, we’ve known this would be the weekend that San Francisco Giants slugger Rafael Devers would finally return to Fenway Park, his home during his near-decade with the Boston Red Sox.

Questions about both the crowd’s reaction and whether the Red Sox fans would honor the three-time All-Star lingered throughout the week. We got our answers on Friday night, and the Fenway crowd showered their longtime third baseman with a heavy chorus of boos. The Red Sox, somewhat surprisingly, played a video tribute to Devers ahead of his first at-bat.

Then, a larger contingent of those in attendance began to cheer for Devers, who struck out looking for the game’s first out. The 29-year-old rebounded in the fourth inning, crushing his 26th homer of the year to center field.

Regardless of who wins the three-game set, Fenway Park and Red Sox fans did wrong by Devers, and we’re still not sure why they felt he deserved such a negative welcome.

Boston Red Sox fans were wrong in booing Rafael Devers

Objectively, we can understand why some fans may have wanted to boo and curse at Devers. His time in Boston ended with a shocking June trade after he and the Red Sox, specifically lead baseball executive Craig Breslow, had seemingly made peace. It certainly helped that Devers had taken well to DH following an ugly first week. 

So why boo Devers? Remember, he never publicly demanded a trade, and he eventually acquiesced to moving to designated hitter. That’s the part fans like to forget, even with how much of New England has serious issues with Breslow. The fact that Devers eventually accepted the position change only stands out more given the Ketel Marte drama in Arizona.

Many of us are addicted to our phones and social media, so it’s not unreasonable to believe that fans at Fenway Park would’ve seen Devers’ pregame comments while waiting on line for incredibly overpriced and unhealthy food. Had Devers ripped Breslow or the city of Boston, they’d absolutely have been justified in booing

Instead, Devers said that he has “no regrets” about his time with the Red Sox, which included a World Series title in 2018, and made it clear how much he values the fans.

“Simply want to say thank you very much for all the support they gave me through my years here, and they will be always special in my heart,” Devers told reporters.

Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and Mookie Betts are indisputably the best Red Sox players of the post-David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia era. Betts is a lock for the Hall of Fame, and Bogaerts feels like a borderline candidate worthy of further evaluation. It’s still slightly too early for Devers, and his final home run total could very well be the determining factor. We’ll first need to see how the voters feel about Kyle Schwarber.

Betts and Bogaerts both received prolonged standing ovations when they returned to Fenway Park. If voters eventually elect Bogaerts to the Hall of Fame, then it’d make sense for him to wear a Red Sox cap on his plaque. Betts could pick either the Red Sox or Dodgers, and either would be completely understandable. 

But based on how they reacted Friday night, Red Sox fans might not even want to see Devers in the team’s Hall of Fame. 

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