Rafael Devers hit a two-run home run that smashed into a seat deep in right field at Fenway Park, Dominic Smith also launched a two-run homer, and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Sunday to win the series.
The Red Sox secured their second consecutive win after dropping the series opener. Boston has been dominant in July with a 9-3 record and has been performing well since June 12, boasting a 20-8 record during that stretch.
All-Star Devers connected on a first-inning slider from Brady Singer (5-6), sending it out with an estimated exit velocity of 114.7 mph and a projected distance of 439 feet, causing damage to a seat and loosening its top support.
The Red Sox shared a “Fenway Facilities Incident Report” on their social media, featuring a photo of the broken red seat.
“Devers is completely focused,” remarked Red Sox manager Alex Cora about Devers, who opted out of the All-Star Game to rest a shoulder injury. “He made a wise decision not to travel to Texas. He’s prioritizing his health and readiness for the second half by receiving treatment this week.”
When informed about the broken seat, Cora joked about informing team owner John Henry, saying, “It did? Someone needs to tell John.”
Adam Frazier started the game with a homer into the Royals’ bullpen, and All-Star Salvador Perez, appearing in his ninth All-Star Game, added a solo shot into the Green Monster seats for Kansas City.
First-time All-Star Jarren Duran contributed four hits for the Red Sox, who maintain an impressive 15-1 record on Sundays. Despite their strong performance, Boston heads into the All-Star break trailing the AL East leader by 4 ½ games, a surprising position after finishing near the bottom in three of the last four seasons.
“Today was a solid team victory,” Duran commented. “We’ve been consistent this year. We’re keeping the momentum going, and it’s great.”
Brayan Bello (10-5) managed to overcome his struggles at home, pitching 6 1/3 innings while allowing three runs on seven hits. He had struggled previously at Fenway Park, posting a 6.55 ERA in seven starts there.
