Red Sox Closer Describes Face-Off With Rafael Devers In Ninth

It was the epic showdown that everyone wanted to see: flamethrower Aroldis Chapman taking on Red Sox castoff Rafael Devers in the ninth inning.

Devers stepped to the plate with his team down 7-5; one out and no one on base. Before a pitch was thrown, Chapman and his former teammate shared a mutual nod that has since gone viral on social media.

Chapman ultimately struck out Devers swinging, delighting Red Sox fans.

After the game, Chapman spoke about the nod and his face-off with Devers, per NESN.

"I wasn't able to see [Raffy] before the game, but during the at bat I was able to say hi,” Chapman said.

The Red Sox ended up winning the game by that same score of 7-5, as Chapman retired the side in the ninth.

Ceddanne Rafaela was the standout on the night, going 3-for-4 with a tiebreaking solo home run in the sixth inning off Sean Hjelle, giving Boston a 6-5 lead. Rafaela also contributed a double, an RBI single, and scored twice. 

David Hamilton added a two-run homer, while Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu chipped in with RBI singles. 

The Red Sox capitalized on eight walks issued by Giants pitchers, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit caused by a sloppy start from starter Hunter Dobbins, who allowed three runs in the first two innings. 

Boston’s bullpen, led by Brennan Bernardino’s scoreless inning and Chapman’s 14th save, shut down the Giants, who stranded eight runners and went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. 

The Giants scored via two double plays, an error, and RBI singles from Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores but couldn’t capitalize late, with Garrett Whitlock striking out Yastrzemski with the bases loaded in the eighth.

Devers went 0-for-5.