So much for Rafael Devers not being able to hit fastballs.
The Red Sox' third baseman changed that narrative in dramatic fashion, turning around a 100.1 mph pitch from Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and hitting it 451 feet for three-run first-inning home run Sunday afternoon.
The homer, which was Devers' 19th of the season, came after Enrique Hernandez' leadoff first-inning blast.
Entering the teams' series finale, Devers was hitting .350 (21-for-60) against fastballs for the month. Conversely, the lefty hitter had a .167 clip against the pitch in May, striking out in 34 of the 60 at-bats that concluded in fastballs.
Devers' home run had a projected distance of 451 feet and 113.7 mph exit velocity. It was the third-hardest hit HR of his career (116.5 mph on 9/8/20 at PHI-G1, 114.4 mph on 5/20/19 vs. TOR) and the 3rd-longest HR distance of his career (458 feet on 6/16/19 at BAL, 452 feet on 4/8/21 at BAL).
Cole ultimately fell into a 6-0 hole after three innings, marking the first time since May 22, 2019 he had allowed as many as six runs.