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.”
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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.