Red Sox Superstar's Controversial Postgame No-Show Marks Low Point In Losing Streak

Nothing is going right for these Boston Red Sox

Aug 25, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (11) runs the bases after hitting a three run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

When things go south for the Boston Red Sox, they tend to spiral out of control.

For the third straight season, the Red Sox are playing themselves out of postseason contention, with a late August slide that has carried over into September. Their 7-2 loss to the surging New York Mets on Tuesday night was Boston's fourth-straight defeat, dropping them to 70-69.

The offense has been dismal for over two weeks now, with the entire lineup minus Jarren Duran combining for a batting average under .200. And the hitter who has cost the Red Sox the most just might be their best hitter overall.

Third baseman Rafael Devers has been grinding through injuries to both shoulders all season, and recently missed three straight games to deal with the issue. But since returning to the lineup, Devers has gone 1-for-21 for a .095 OPS.

After another 0-for-4 night in Queens, Devers reportedly sat at his locker for close to an hour, his hands behind his head. That appeared to anger members of the attending media, including Christopher Smith of MassLive, who had requested to speak with Devers through team officials.

"Rafael Devers did not speak," Smith said. "The media waited for him until 11 p.m. He was informed about an hour ago by the PR staff we wanted to talk to him. He could have just said no then. Instead, made everyone wait and then refused to talk."

Smith's post was met with criticism from fans in the replies who felt the media were inserting themselves into the situation.

"That's a horrible piece of journalism," one user said. " You took an incident where the team's leader is despondent over their performance and instead focused on your own entitlement. Your report would have been far better without editorializing. Whatever your goal, it's not worth it."

Fellow MassLive reporter Chris Cotillo defended Smith (explicit language) while implying this has become a consistent problem with Devers after tough losses.

"This has been an issue that has aggravated tons of team officials since April. There is an expectation when you make $300M+. Internally and externally," Cotillo said.

Cotillo also remarked that former Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Devers' close friend and mentor as a young player in Boston, was "100/100" in terms of media accountability after losses.

However fans feel about Devers' actions on Tuesday night, the main takeaway is that a season that was legitimately fun for most of the summer has now taken an ugly turn.

Unless the Red Sox can pull off some miracle (don't hold your breath, even if the Kansas City Royals keep on losing), this season will be remembered as a missed opportunity. It's on Devers and the rest of this core to prove progress was made by avoiding another second-half slide in 2025.

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