It’s hard to believe that on a night where Chris Sale struck out 11 batters and allowed just one hit over seven scoreless innings, his performance would be playing second fiddle.
But that’s where he finds himself thanks to Rafael Devers.
The Boston Red Sox third baseman registered hits in all five of his at-bats Saturday as the Sox throttled the New York Yankees 11-0 at Yankee Stadium.
It didn’t take long for things to shape up well for the 21-year-old, as he put Boston ahead early with a two-out grand slam off Yankees starter Sonny Gray in the first inning. From there, he added a double and three more singles, driving in four runs on the night and scoring three times. In the process, Devers upped his average to .251 with a .741 OPS.
And in shredding the Yankees, Devers actually made a little bit of history for a player his age.
Understandably, the story of Devers’ night is his offense, but he also is playing some solid defense. It’s no secret his defense can be a bit of a roller coaster at times, but of late he has continued to show some good range while displaying better accuracy with his throws — especially on the move.
We’ve seen plenty of growing pains from Devers this year, and it’s easy to forget that given he’s 21, those growing pains are exactly that. But with the composure he showed Saturday night in all facets of the game — particularly one night after his team got crushed — he’s displaying some head-turning skill and maturity.
Here are some other notes from Saturday’s Red Sox-Yankees game:
— Sale was untouchable in his outing against the Yankees, and even if he hadn’t gotten the amount of run support he did receive, that hardly would have been a worry.
After the second inning, Sale pitched nothing but 1-2-3 frames en route to his eighth victory of the season. And on top of continuing his recent stellar run, he also added to some impressive history against the Yankees.
The southpaw’s existing body of work already validates the fact he’s a true ace, but he always seems to find ways to keep getting better.
— Sandy Leon has been mashing lately, and he did so in a big way against the Yankees.
The Sox catcher went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs thanks to a double and a moonshot of a two-run blast in the seventh inning to put Boston up 9-0.
Leon’s numbers continue to climb, and he’s now at the point where he’s outhitting the average Major League catcher in a handful of categories.
Most pitchers on Boston’s staff will tell you how great of a game Leon calls, and the fact his offensive numbers are complimenting the defense is making him an increasingly important part of the roster.
