Red Sox
Rafaela prevented ex-teammate Rafael Devers from reaching base with a leaping grab in the third inning Friday.
The Rafael Devers trade drama didn’t seem to faze Ceddanne Rafaela Friday night.
Facing Devers’s Giants in San Francisco, the 24-year-old had himself a night in the batter’s box and in the outfield. Rafaela finished 3 for 4 and a triple shy of the cycle. One of his hits was a go-ahead home run, which was the difference in the Red Sox’ 7-5 victory over the Giants.
His first hit of the night came in the third inning when he doubled on a sharp line drive. Rafaela wound up scoring to tally Boston’s second run of the game and make it 3-2 early.
Before his next at-bat, he took care of business in center field. In the bottom of the third, Rafaela robbed Devers of a potential extra-base hit by making a leaping catch up against the wall.
Watch the grab that helped keep the Red Sox within one run:
If you’re wondering, that 385-foot flyout would not have been a home run at Fenway Park, according to Baseball Savant.
Rafaela’s impressive snag eventually paved the way for Boston to take the lead. In his next at-bat, he drove home Wilyer Abreu with a RBI single to knot the contest at three runs apiece in the fourth frame.
After a couple of innings of back-and-forth scoring, which saw a Roman Anthony RBI base hit, Rafaela decided enough was enough.
In the top of the sixth with the game tied at five, he took a hanging, belt-high knuckle curveball 424 feet to dead-center field. Rafaela’s solo shot gave Boston a 6-5 advantage, and it never looked back.
Friday’s homer marked the player’s seventh on the season. Rafaela is batting .273 in June and .255 with a .710 OPS on the year.
The win improved the Red Sox’ record to 40-37 on the season. They are 8-1 in their last nine games, including 3-1 since the Devers trade. Boston is four games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East standings.
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