Rafael Devers' first walk-off HR in eventful week brings much-needed Red Sox win
BOSTON — It's been an eventful 10 days for Rafael Devers.
From his comments May 8 voicing frustration with the Boston Red Sox asking him to play first base to a meeting with team owner John Henry the following day in Kansas City to winning American League Player of the Week on Monday, there's been no shortage of drama surrounding Devers.
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On Saturday night, in the bottom of the ninth, he added a bit more.
Devers stepped to the plate with a tie score and smashed a 2-1 breaking ball to deep right-center over the bullpen wall, propelling the Red Sox to a 7-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
It was the first walk-off home run of Devers' career as the Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak in their largest come-from-behind victory of the season.
'We needed that one,' manager Alex Cora said.
So many times in recent weeks, the Red Sox have rallied in close games only to fall short or lose in extra innings. Three of their four losses this week on the road came in walk-off fashion. Eleven of their last 13 losses have been by three runs or fewer, with eight of those losses by just one run.
They're 5-12 in one-run games this season.
'You can see both ways,' Cora said. 'They cannot finish games or they're about to take off, right? And I see it that way. I better see it that way.'
Devers was determined to end that downward spiral Saturday.
'Obviously, very excited because of the type of the game. For us to be able to come back to win these kinds of games means a lot,' Devers said through interpreter Carlos Villoria-Benitez.
Asked what the past 10 days have been like, Devers was succinct: 'Yeah, that already happened.'
Devers won the game, but Jarren Duran's 2-for-5 night, in addition to throwing a runner out at home, gave the Red Sox a chance.
Jarren takes a lap 🏃
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— Red Sox (@redsox.com) May 17, 2025 at 8:16 PM
A victory such as Saturday night might be just another win in the season for a struggling club. But it could be the catalyst the Sox need to snap out of their middling, .500 rut.
'We're about to see,' Cora said. 'It's only one night. I don't want to get too excited about it, but like I've been saying, the record is a record. We know we have a good team.'
Duran's two-run homer in the third put the Red Sox on the board at 5-2, and his two-run single in the eighth tied the score 6-6.
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'We've been pretty resilient all year, having games like that coming up short,' Duran said. 'But today was our night. It's always a good feeling to have one of those nights.'
The Red Sox fell into an early hole thanks to three home runs off Lucas Giolito within the first three innings. Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna hit back-to-back shots in the first and Drake Baldwin added another two-run homer in the third as the Braves built an early 5-0 lead.
Giolito managed just four innings, allowing six runs on eight hits. He threw 87 pitches, 52 strikes.
'I put us in a deep hole early the way I pitched. I definitely deserved to lose,' Giolito said. 'But that shows the fact that we're just not giving up.
'I think it definitely was the win of the year.'
The Red Sox bullpen, which has struggled of late in so many one-run and walk-off losses, held Atlanta down for five innings. Brennan Bernardino, Nick Burdi, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman kept the Braves at bay as the Boston bats got to work. Duran helped defensively, too. In the sixth with two on against Burdi, Duran fielded a two-out Olson single and fired a perfect strike home to throw out Alex Verdugo attempting to score.
After Duran's third-inning homer, the Red Sox bats were quiet for the next three innings, threatening another rough loss.
But in the seventh, Ceddanne Rafaela got the offense going with a leadoff double. After a Duran flyout, Devers singled to left, driving in Rafaela and advancing to second on the throw home. Alex Bregman followed with a double, scoring Devers to bring Boston within 6-4 before Duran's two-run single in the eighth.
Devers finished it off with his eighth homer of the season, which traveled 402 feet and 107.3 mph off the bat as Fenway erupted.
'He's locked in,' Cora said of Devers. 'He really cares about the team and he wants to win. And right now, like I said before, he's our DH, and he's doing an outstanding job.'
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One win is one win, but the Red Sox desperately needed it. Now they'll see if this will be the momentum-builder of which they've been searching.
'You're going to get punched in the mouth,' Duran said. 'But I thought the way we responded today was a good thing. We were down early and down bad, and we just stayed resilient and stayed within ourselves.'
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New York Times
31 minutes ago
- New York Times
Could Ceddanne Rafaela be the next Pete Crow-Armstrong? The Red Sox hope so
BOSTON — The easiest path for the Boston Red Sox to promote top prospect Roman Anthony, give him regular playing time, and perhaps jolt their lagging offense would be to move versatile center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela to the infield and use Anthony in center. It hasn't happened, in part, because the Red Sox see Rafaela as one of the truly elite defenders in baseball and believe he may be on the verge of a breakout akin to what the Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong has delivered this season. Advertisement There is merit, some in the organization acknowledge, to the concept of Rafaela as a super utility man, especially if it opens outfield playing time for Anthony, but such a move would eliminate Rafaela's greatest strength — his center field defense — and could disrupt his encouraging signs of progress at the plate. 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New York Times
31 minutes ago
- New York Times
They were suspended for betting on baseball. Now their teams are welcoming them back
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The San Diego Padres are still evaluating Groome's status with the organization, while the Philadelphia Phillies have welcomed Rodriguez back to their facility. That's all according to sources with the individual teams, who were granted anonymity to speak freely due to the sensitive nature of the issue. The suspensions were a shock for the sport. While baseball has a long and difficult history with gambling — from the Chicago Black Sox to Pete Rose's lifetime ban that last month was posthumously lifted, to interpreter Ippei Mizuhara recently funding his own bets with Shohei Ohtani's money — this was the first instance of players being caught using legal online betting companies. Earlier this spring, major league umpire Pat Hoberg was fired for sharing a sports betting account with a friend who bet on baseball. According to MLB's statement at the time, the league was informed of the betting activity by its sports book partners, and subsequently conducted an investigation. The league declined to answer if it has updated any protocols in the wake of these suspensions, and instead reiterated commissioner Rob Manfred's statement from the initial announcement. 'MLB will continue to invest heavily in integrity monitoring, educational programming and awareness initiatives with the goal of ensuring strict adherence to this fundamental rule of our game,' Manfred said as part of that statement. A spokesperson for the players' union declined comment for this story. Advertisement Even though all the suspended players are eligible to return, the teams are not actually required to bring them back. MLB and the Players Association agreed to a special carve-out, according to a league source, that allowed the players back into their teams' facilities 30 days before the expiration of their suspension. After June 5, the teams then have 10 days to decide whether to offer a contract to the players or non-tender them. The teams also have 30 days after June 5 to place the players on a roster, including a minor league affiliate. However, teams could use the development list to extend the ramp-up period. Both Saalfrank, 27, and Kelly, 32, were important pieces for their respective teams before their suspensions. Saalfrank was in Triple A, but made 11 postseason appearances during Arizona's World Series run in 2023. And Kelly had a 2.59 ERA in 28 appearances for Oakland ahead of his suspension. Groome, 26, was in Triple-A at the time of his suspension, and has yet to make his big league debut despite being the No. 12 pick in the 2016 draft. Rodriguez, 24, has played in just one big league game — with the Chicago White Sox in 2023. He played four games in the Dominican Winter League during his suspension. The bets in question weren't for significant sums. Saalfrank's bets totaled $445.87, which included 28 bets on baseball from Sept. 9, 2021, to March 9, 2022. At the time, he was a minor leaguer in the Diamondbacks' system. A team source said that Saalfrank has been apologetic and contrite, recognizing the mistake he made. It's expected that he — and all the players involved — will have to address the situation publicly when they start playing in games. Kelly bet a total of $99.22 over a 12-day span in October of 2021. At the time, Kelly was a Triple-A player in the Houston Astros' system, and three of his nine bets involved his team, which was competing in the postseason. He was the only player to end up with a profit, making a net of $28.30. Advertisement Groome bet $453.74 on baseball over three days in July 2021, while Rodriguez wagered $749.09 from September 2021 through June 2022. Representatives for Saalfrank and Kelly did not respond to multiple interview requests, and a representative for Groome declined comment. Neither of the players could be reached for comment. Leagues across the sports world have had to deal with the rise and ease of legalized sports betting, even while profiting financially from their partnerships. The Athletic has a business partnership with online sportsbook BetMGM. In the NBA, former Raptors forward Jontay Porter was banned for life for manipulating his playing time. Several NFL players have been suspended for gambling, most notably then-Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley in 2022. College basketball has also dealt with serious issues over bets influencing the outcomes of games and individual player performances, leading to a federal investigation. An MLB spokesperson declined to say, when asked, if they believed these suspensions and the Marcano ban will be an effective deterrent in avoiding future issues. '(The enforcement of) rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,' Manfred wrote at the time of the suspensions. 'The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century.' — The Athletic's Dennis Lin and Matt Gelb contributed reporting to this story. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; top photos: Michael Reaves, Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport, Sean M. Haffey, Chris Bernacchi / Diamond Images / Getty Images)
