Rafael Devers put the Red Sox on his back, and they now they are riding him all the way to the postseason.
Devers clubbed two home runs Sunday in Game 162 against the Nationals, with the second breaking a 5-5 deadlock in the ninth inning.
The 447-foot, two-run homer paved the way for a 7-5 Red Sox win, allowing them to lock in a date with the Yankees in the American League Wild Card game, Tuesday at Fenway Park.
Devers' blast, which followed up his solo blast in the fourth inning, helped the Red Sox complete their comeback from a 5-1 deficit. It also came just moments after the Yankees clinched their own berth in the postseason with a walk-off, 2-1 win over the Rays.
The other key hit for the Red Sox came from Alex Verdugo, who doubled in a pair with a seventh-inning double, tying things up at 5-5.
Starter Chris Sale only managed to go 2 1/3 innings, giving up a pair of runs while throwing 62 pitches. Garrett Richards succumbed to the biggest Nationals' inning three runs in the fifth inning.
But the combination of Martin Perez, Garrett Whitlock, Eduardo Rodriguez and Nick Pivetta managed to shut the Nationals down for the final four frames to secure the win.
