Ranking Rafael Devers' Top 5 Red Sox Moments Before Return to Fenway

Rafael Devers will play at Fenway Park on Friday for the first time since June 15 of last year, and it's got us feeling sentimental.

Whether Boston Red Sox fans choose to cheer or boo Devers in his return to his former home as a member of the San Francisco Giants, it's undeniable that he had some great moments throughout those nine seasons. So for a moment, let's set aside any potential animosity and count down the best of those moments.

This is our list, and we're leaving off some great moments indeed. So if you feel like something is missing, you're probably within your rights. Just know that everything was considered.

5. Walk-off home run vs. Braves

RAFAEL DEVERS WANTS THE WALLY HELMET! #WALKOFF pic.twitter.com/ou0RLfYAq9
— MLB (@MLB) May 18, 2025

The stakes might not have been that high, but how remarkable was it that Devers waited until he only had a month left in a Red Sox uniform to finally hit his first career walk-off dinger? Plus, knowing all we know now about the drama that was playing out behind the scenes with the front office, it's pretty remarkable that he was the team's hottest hitter for this entire month of May.

4. Playoff back-breaker against Rays

Rafael Devers in the 2021 playoffs:

11 Games
51 PA
.295/.392/.636/1.029
5 HR
12 RBI

One arm, but when the lights were the brightest, he came alive. pic.twitter.com/e13hMbHNfF https://t.co/l9CJyxSxFq
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) August 21, 2026

This spot on the list came down to either the shot that put the Red Sox into the playoffs in Game 162 against the Washington Nationals in 2021, or this one that put the Division Series firmly in their grasp against the Tampa Bay Rays. And hitting it at Fenway Park, especially against a star pitcher in Shane McClanahan, was just enough to break the tie.

3. Utter domination of Gerrit Cole

Rafael Devers PIMPED his home run and Gerrit Cole did not like it pic.twitter.com/ymPGvNx5e8
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 6, 2024

You can't pick just one moment. Devers' total ownership of Cole went beyond anything else we've seen in this era of starting pitching dominance, especially against one of the top few pitchers of the generation. As a Red Sox, Devers went 14-for-40 with EIGHT home runs against the 2023 Cy Young Award winner.

2. The iconic game-tyer against Aroldis Chapman

Aroldis Chapman just found out that you can't sneak 103 by Rafael Devers... pic.twitter.com/F5AWicIs9k
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) August 14, 2017

Red Sox fans were already plenty excited about the rookie Devers and the impressive swings he was taking, but this moment introduced him to the rest of the baseball world. Taking a 103-mph fastball, lefty-on-lefty, and shooting it out to the deepest part of Yankee Stadium was something many might have thought to be impossible before Devers did it that night.

And the reactions of Yankees fans and their dropped jaws was what really drove the moment home.

1. Contributions to 2018 World Series win

Though his true breakout came the next season, Devers had some monumental swings for the 2018 Red Sox as they bulldozed their way to an 11-3 postseason record. This included a huge three-run homer in the ALCS against the Houston Astros, a go-ahead pinch-hit RBI single in Game 4 of the World Series, and a record-tying eight straight playoff games with an RBI.

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