Rafael Devers on brink of making Red Sox history (and could pass surprising name)

Rafael Devers is the hottest hitter in the Boston Red Sox lineup and may be up around the hottest hitters in the game in the past week.

The third baseman has donned Boston's celebratory home run medal for five straight days. Devers has homered in five consecutive games, and if he can collect a sixth-straight bomb on May 20 against the Tampa Bay Rays, he'll take sole possession of a franchise record.

Devers is tied with some iconic former Sox who've also hit long balls in five straight games. Jose Canseco, George Scott, Dick Stuart, Ted Williams, and Jimmie Foxx are all tied for the club record for consecutive games with a home run.

One more unexpected Red Sox is tied with those many icons. Bobby Dalbec has also blasted home runs in five straight games, which couldn't be harder to believe after his downfall.

Rafael Devers could make Red Sox home run history at Tropicana Field on May 20

Dalbec hit a homer every day from Sept. 5-10, 2020, which wasn't even his biggest season in a Red Sox uniform. The infielder played just 23 games for Boston that year and blasted eight home runs. Dalbec's best offensive campaign was in 2021 when he hit 25 home runs in 133 games.

Devers has a shot to break away from Dalbec and the rest of the elite company who hold Boston's consecutive homer record. The Red Sox struggled against the Rays during their four-game series last week, but their bats were in a serious funk.

Devers will have to deal with Taj Bradley on the mound and the 23-year-old has only given up one round-tripper in his 11 innings this year. Wilyer Abreu smashed the only homer against Bradley, so the Red Sox have gotten to the young righty before. Coincidentally, Dalbec's record-tying fifth-straight homer came at Tropicana Field where Devers will attempt to set a new club best, so maybe history will be on his side.

Since his return from his shoulder and knee injuries in mid-April, Devers has been integral to Boston's offense. He's reached base safely in 24 of his last 26 games and his .285/.384/.555 slash line was one of the only signs of life during the Red Sox's severe offensive slump of mid-May.

Devers has homered four straight times on three occasions in his career. This time, in the first season of his 10-year contract extension and as a team leader, he'll push to get over the hump and join the history books.

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