Jason Varitek waited at the top of the Boston Red Sox dugout for Rafael Devers to round the bases.
The Red Sox great and current game-planning coordinator and catching coach had just watched Devers smack a solo shot against Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Lugo to climb up the franchise’s record books at Varitek’s expense.
Varitek was all smiles, though. He presented the celebratory Red Sox home run medal to Devers, who moved past Varitek into 11th place on the all-time Red Sox homer list with 194 round-trippers.
Varitek wasn’t the only one thrilled to see Devers notch the accomplishments. Devers’ teammates showered him with praise following Boston’s 5-0 win at Fenway Park.
“I think Raffy is the perfect definition of a Red Sox,” Red Sox first baseman Dominic Smith told reporters, per MLB.com’s Molly Burkhardt. “He comes out every day, no excuses, he wants to play. He never shies away from the big moment. He wants the big moment. And he works. He comes in early, he works on his defense, he works on his offense. He’s a leader. He’s a great leader.”
Devers’ homer came at the start of the fifth inning and capped the scoring for Boston. It came on the eighth pitch of the at-bat against Lugo as after fouling off a couple of pitches, Devers lifted a breaking ball that caught too much of the plate into the first row of the Green Monster seats.
The blast gave Devers, who was named an All-Star but won’t participate in the event due to a nagging sore shoulder, his team-leading 22nd home run of the season.
“First things first, I’m glad we’re wearing the same jersey because obviously we’ve seen the pitches that he can hit,” Red Sox starting pitcher Kutter Crawford told reporters, per the Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr. “That’s Raffy. That’s what he does. It’s awesome. Like I said, I’m glad we’re on the same team. … He’s must-watch TV. Whenever he’s at bat, you need to grab the top step (of the dugout).”
