Rafael Devers joins exclusive company as homer lifts Red Sox to World Series

The Boston Red Sox are going to the World Series for the first time since 2013, and one of the biggest reasons why is the the youngest player on their roster.

Rafael Devers, the 21-year-old third baseman, delivered the biggest hit in their 4-1 victory against the Houston Astros in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. In the process, he joined exclusive postseason company.

With the Red Sox clinging to a one-run lead against Justin Verlander in the sixth inning, Devers stunned the Astros ace and the Minute Maid Park crowd with an opposite field three-run homer that landed just safely in the Crawford Boxes.

The home run was already Devers’ third in a postseason game. The first two actually came in last season’s ALDS against these same Astros after he’d emerged on the scene as a 20-year-old.

In hitting three postseason home runs before his 22nd birthday, he became only the fifth player to join this exclusive group.

Crazy.

Devers will only have one more chance to add to that total. The World Series will begin at Fenway Park on Oct. 23. His birthday is Oct. 24.

Many Red Sox fans had been calling for more playing time for Devers in the postseason. He’d been splitting time with Eduardo Núñez, who’s hitting .188 in the postseason, until ALCS Game 4. Manager Alex Cora started him against Astros starter Charlie Morton and was rewarded with two RBIs despite three strikeouts. Cora stuck with Devers in Game 5, and despite two more strikeouts was rewarded again with the dagger home run.

We wouldn’t necessarily call Devers’ production a surprise. He’s a dangerous hitter who’s always capable of changing a game with one swing and is already building a strong postseason legacy.

But it also kept with the Red Sox theme of getting their biggest ALCS production from role players.

It wasn’t Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts or J.D. Martinez who was named ALCS MVP. That honor went to outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who was coming off another sluggish offensive season in 2018.

Devers had a less impressive season too compared to his rookie campaign, hitting just .240/.298/.731 with 21 homers. Right now though, they are making an already difficult Red Sox lineup that much deeper and that much more dangerous.

More from Yahoo Sports:

• 2003 rape allegations cost Kobe spot on film festival jury
• Controversial call wipes out Astros home run
• NFL owners take a knee in waning anthem controversy
• Dan Wetzel: Gymnastics scandal secrets may finally go public