Devers delivers 1st career slam for red-hot Sox
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ANAHEIM -- The Red Sox had another offensive outburst in Southern California on Wednesday night, as Rafael Devers belted his first career grand slam to cap a five-run third inning in a 9-0 win over the Angels at Angel Stadium.
Devers homered for the second night in a row, and it was the fourth grand slam for the Red Sox in 17 games this season.
"It makes me feel good and motivates me to do what everybody else is doing," Devers said through an interpreter. "If everybody else is producing, I want to do that as well. And it's not just hitting, but anything I can do defensively on the field."
Grand slams mean 40% off pizza
At 21 years, 176 days, Devers became the youngest Red Sox player to hit a grand slam since a 20-year-old Tony Conigliaro hit one on Aug. 24, 1965, against the Washington Senators. And Devers became the youngest player to hit a slam in the Majors since a 20-year-old Rougned Odor did it on Aug. 27, 2014, at Seattle. Devers' four RBIs were a career high.
Devers' slam gave the Red Sox a 6-0 lead against Angels starter Tyler Skaggs. J.D. Martinez and Mitch Moreland later added home runs for the Sox, who have went deep nine times in the first two games of the series.
Devers, who has three homers this season, has hit safely in his last 12 road games, the longest active road hitting streak in the American League, during which he is batting .377 (20-for-53) with four home runs, 15 RBIs and eight multi-hit games. He is batting .333 (7-for-21) with runners in scoring position this season.
While the left-handed-hitting Devers has not abandoned hitting to all fields, he admitted that he is pulling the ball more this season.
"I have been [pulling the ball], not intentionally, but that's just where [the hits] are going," Devers said. "They have been pitching me inside, so I'm just going with the pitch that I'm given."