Boston Red Sox star Rafael Devers is more accustomed to taking a jaunt around the bases.
Devers showed in Boston’s 8-3 road win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night that he can turn on the jets, too.
The two-time All-Star hustled around the bases to record a triple to lead off the top of the eighth inning. The triple was a rare occurrence from Devers, who hadn’t collected one since May 18, 2022.
That brought out quite the reaction from his teammates, especially from Brayan Bello, who earned the win after allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while also striking out seven in five innings.
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“When he hit the triple, I was like, ‘Oh man, he’s not going to shut up in the clubhouse because he’s going to say he’s faster than (Jarren) Duran, faster than (Ceddanne Rafaela),'” Bello told reporters through translator Daveson Pérez. “But no, good for him.”
Devers was on the move from the get-go, sprinting out of the batter’s box after he laced the first pitch he saw — a 95 mph sinker up in the zone — from lefty reliever Cionel Perez down the left-field line.
The 27-year-old third baseman appeared to let up a little bit as he approached second base, but with Austin Hays slow to play the ball after it hit the wall, Devers didn’t hesitate and took off for third.
“I had the play right in front of me. I could see it happening,” Devers told reporters through Pérez. “It was a tough play, so I just took advantage.”
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Devers didn’t need to use his new-found wheels to complete the final 90 feet of his journey. He promptly scored when Connor Wong, who was the next hitter, laced a single to right field.
The triple from Devers punctuated a 4-for-5 performance with two RBIs as he was a tone-setter in Boston’s first win of the season over the Orioles.
“When your best player runs the bases the way he did today, it tells you the whole story,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters. “Hits the ball down the line and he didn’t hesitate. Overall, awesome. Good energy.”
