Tale of tape during Raffy's HR binge

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. LOUIS -- As the Red Sox roll into St. Petersburg on Monday for their three-game series against the Rays, they hope that the Rafael Devers power show will reach a third venue.

In the final two games of the last homestand, Devers went deep against the Rays. Boston moved onto steamy St. Louis for the weekend, and the gifted lefty slugger mashed a homer in all three games.

Devers tied a team record by clearing the fence in five straight games. The feat was reached previously by this eclectic sextet of players who wore the Boston uniform: Bobby Dalbec (2020), Jose Canseco (1995), George Scott (1977), Dick Stuart (1963), Ted Williams (1957) and Jimmie Foxx (1940).

The tear has been fun to watch for Devers’ teammates, if not all that surprising.

“He’s Rafael Devers. He’s one of the best hitters in the league for a reason,” outfielder Jarren Duran said. “When he has slow days, he only has two hits. Now, he’s hitting home runs left and right so we’re not surprised. “

Here is a tale of the tape for the five homers Devers hammered over a five-day stretch.

Homer No. 1: May 15 vs. the Rays at Fenway, solo shot to center.
Situation when he came up: Red Sox trailing, 4-2.
Inning: Bottom of the sixth.
Opposing pitcher: Phil Maton.
Count: 0-1.
HR pitch and location: 85.7-mph slider. Low, slightly inside, not in the strike zone.
Statcast figures: Exit velocity, 110.5-mph; Launch Angle, 20 degrees; Projected distance, 408 feet; Hangtime, 4.6 seconds; Bat speed, 76.7-mph; Ballparks it would have been a homer, 9/30. HR trot time, 21.2 seconds.

Homer No. 2: May 16 vs. the Rays at Fenway, solo shot to left.
Situation when he came up: Red Sox down, 1-0.
Inning: Bottom of the second.
Opposing pitcher: Zack Littell.
Count: 0-0.
HR pitch and location: 92.0-mph 4-seam fastball. Middle-middle.
Statcast figures: Exit velocity, 99.9-mph; Launch angle, 34 degrees; Projected distance, 340 feet; Hangtime, 5.5 seconds; Bat speed, 72.8-mph; Ballparks it would have been a homer, 3/30; HR trot time, 20.5 seconds.

Homer No. 3: May 17 vs. the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, solo shot to center.
Situation when he came up: Red Sox trailing 3-2.
Inning: Top of the third.
Opposing pitcher: Kyle Gibson.
Count: 0-1.
HR pitch and location: 79.5-mph curveball. Lower, outside corner of the strike zone.
Statcast figures: Exit velocity, 106-mph; Launch angle, 28 degrees; Projected distance; 443 feet; Hangtime, 5.6 seconds; Bat speed, 78-mph; Ballparks it would have been a homer, 30/30; HR trot time, 26.3 seconds.

Homer No. 4: May 18 vs. the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, solo shot to center.
Situation when he came up: Red Sox trailing, 1-0.
Inning: Top of the fourth.
Opposing pitcher: Miles Mikolas.
Count: 1-2.
HR pitch and location: 79.1-mph curveball. Middle, low. Not a strike.
Statcast figures: Exit velocity: 106.6-mph; Launch angle, 23 degrees; Projected distance, 431 feet; Hangtime, 5 seconds; Bat speed, 73.9-mph; Ballparks it would have been a homer: 29/30 (Not a HR at Coors Field); HR trot time, 23.3 seconds.

Homer No. 5: May 18 vs. the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, two-run blast to right-center.
Situation when he came up: Red Sox leading, 7-1.
Inning: Top of the sixth.
Opposing pitcher: Ryan Fernandez
Count: 3-2.
HR pitch and location: 93-mph cutter. Middle-middle.
Statcast figures: Exit velocity: 106.8-mph, Launch angle, 37 degrees, Projected distance, 404 feet, Hangtime, 6.4 seconds, Bat speed, 77.5-mph. Ballparks it would have been a homer. 20/30. HR trot time, 26.8 seconds

Takeaways
The fact that none of the homers were pull shots is indicative of what a well-rounded hitter Devers is.

For those of you familiarizing yourselves with Statcast’s new bat speed metrics, Devers had three “fast swings” out of the five homers, which is characterized at 75 mph or more.

Two of the five pitches Devers put out of the yard weren’t even strikes, showing his outstanding bat range.

Three of the five swings tied the game.

“When that guy gets on a heater, it’s fun to watch,” outfielder Tyler O’Neill said. “He’s been one of the best hitters in the league for a long time. I’m enjoying watching it on person rather than on TV.”