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New York Post
Rafael Devers haunts Yankees after Aaron Boone decision backfires
By Dan Martin,
23 days ago
Luis Gil was pitching a gem — his first in a while — when Rafael Devers stepped to the plate with one out in the top of the seventh.
Instead of calling on Luke Weaver — who was warming in the bullpen — to face the Red Sox slugger, Aaron Boone and the Yankees stayed with Gil.
Devers then did what he’s done so often against the Yankees — not just this season, but throughout his career: He homered.
Rafael Devers watches his home run off Luis Gil during the seventh inning on Sunday night in The Bronx. N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg Rafael Devers rounds the bases after homering during the Red Sox’s win against the Yankees. Charles Wenzelberg
Devers’ 28 career home runs against the Yankees is most among active players and his 16 at the current Stadium matches Evan Longoria for the third-most in its history — behind only Jose Bautista (19) and Edwin Encarnacion (18).
Devers has been so good that Boone was even asked if he thought of walking the third baseman intentionally with no one on and one out in the seventh.
“No,’’ Boone said. “No. Zero [thought]. No.”
When the topic continued, Boone said emphatically: “I’m not gonna walk him there intentionally with the bases empty at 0-0. We know who he is. We know where he is. I hear you, but I’m not gonna intentionally walk him.”
Instead, the Yankees have tried to be careful against Devers, with little success.
Given the numbers Devers has put up when facing the Yankees, there’s clearly cause for concern.
“We dig into that a lot, believe me,” Boone said of the Yankees’ approach. “Sometimes it’s time and place in a season and a guy comes in swinging well. He’s a great player. … We invest a lot into where to get him.”
Aaron Boone removes Luis Gil from the game. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Rafael Devers fields DJ LeMahieu’s slow roller during the eighth inning on Sunday. USA TODAY Sports
And as Devers proved when he took Tonkin deep on a 93 mph four-seamer up and away — and well out of the strike zone — there’s not much you can do to avoid his damage.
“He’s definitely a guy that’s performed incredibly well,” Boone said. “We’d like to do a better job against him.”
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