Few professional leagues, if any, have the kind of love and passion for stats as MLB.
Everyone loves stats, even fans, so specialized accounts and companies work hard to find interesting tidbits, numbers, and situations.
Boston Red Sox fans will probably going to like this particular stat about one of their best players, third baseman Rafael Devers.
“Rafael Devers is the first Red Sox player ever to homer in his final plate appearance of a regular season, then homer in his first plate appearance of the ensuing regular season. h/t @EliasSports,” Red Sox writer J.P. Long tweeted on Friday afternoon, as the talented Devers belted a long home run off New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole in the opening game of their series.
Rafael Devers is the first Red Sox player ever to homer in his final plate appearance of a regular season, then homer in his first plate appearance of the ensuing regular season.
h/t @EliasSports
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) April 8, 2022
It’s a really cool stat: it means Devers closed 2021 on a high note, just as he opened 2022 in a similar fashion.
The Rivalry Is In For Another Exciting Year
“The Rivalry,” as the matchups between the Red Sox and Yankees are called, is huge for both fan bases, so if any player does well against their longtime rivals, he will be celebrated for eternity.
Much like Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, and David Ortiz are loved by Red Sox fans, Devers appears headed to a similar level of being idolized.
Devers seems to always have a big hit against the Yankees: even though his numbers aren’t all that impressive against them (.250/.305/.459, .763 OPS), he has 18 homers against them, the second-most against a particular team after the lowly Baltimore Orioles.
Many of those hits have also come in high-leverage spots.
Oh, and he has hit three career home runs against Cole.
The series, and the season, is just starting, and Red Sox and Yankees fans are in for an exciting year of thrilling matchups.
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