Devers BM642075

Boston went into the September 23, 2017 game in Cincinnati with nine games left in the season, and a four-game lead over the Yankees. Boston took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. In the second inning, rookie Rafael Devers faced Robert Stephenson. This baseball was used for the first pitch which was a 94.1 MPH fastball. Devers hit that pitch for a line drive, traveling 375 feet to right field for his 57th career hit. This double was followed by a line out by Chris Young, an intentional walk of Jackie Bradley Jr. and an Eduardo Rodriguez ground out to end the inning. This was the only hit in the game for Devers, who was lifted in the eighth inning for a pinch-runner after a walk. The Red Sox as a team performed well, adding three more runs in the sixth and another one in the seventh on their way to a 5-0 win. This win improved their record to 90-64. New York also won on this day, so the Red Sox did not increase their division lead, but their four-game lead appeared to be safe with only eight games remaining in the season.