Rafael Devers joins Ted Williams, Tony Conigliaro as only Boston Red Sox to hit 100 homers before age 25: ‘It’s a true honor’

BOSTON — On Friday night, Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers guaranteed that he will forever be mentioned in the same sentence as two Red Sox legends.

With his second homer in Boston’s 6-2 win over the Yankees, Devers became the third player in franchise history to hit 100 home runs before turning 25, joining Ted Williams and Tony Conigliaro. Though Devers was born decades after those players suited up, he still appreciated the magnitude of his feat.

“It’s a true honor,” Devers said through translator Bryan Almonte. “Obviously, those are two legends of this organization and to be mentioned in the same sentence is really special. Obviously, it’s something I would have never thought of but it feels really good to be able to be on that list as well now.”

On Friday, the Red Sox had trouble getting much going offensively against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole until Devers stepped up to the plate in the fifth. After Xander Bogaerts had tied the game, 1-1, with a sacrifice fly, Devers took Cole deep over the Monster, turning around a 99.2 mph fastball to give his team the lead.

Two innings later, with Boston still clinging to a two-run lead, Devers broke things open. This time it was a three-run shot to center field off reliever Nestor Cortes to secure a five-RBI game and the second multi-homer affair of the season for Devers.

Devers’ second homer was his 100th.

“I’m extremely happy,” Devers said. “Obviously, this is the organization that gave me the opportunity to be a big-league ballplayer and that means a lot to me.”

On a night when manager Alex Cora praised his team for winning a “total team effort” against their rivals, Devers stood out as a star.

“He’s one of our best players,” Cora said. “On a nightly basis, we’ve got different guys who show up and they do things. He’s one of the best third basemen in the big leagues and he’s only 24.”

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