Rafael Devers sets a new MLB record, just not the kind anyone wants with 10 Strikeouts in 3 Games

We’re only three games into the season and Rafael Devers already made history — just not the kind you hang in Cooperstown. The Red Sox franchise cornerstone third baseman DH has set an MLB record for strikeouts in a team’s first three games with 10. Not a typo…10 and it’s only gotten worse from there.

Welcome to the record books, Rafael Devers

Rafael Devers has struck out 10 times through 3 games, which is an MLB record through the first three games of a season.
pic.twitter.com/d6ZObNC47P

— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) March 30, 2025

Let’s rewind…

The offseason drama started with Devers puffing his chest out when the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman. Devers made it very clear that third base was “his spot.” He didn’t want to DH. He wasn’t going to DH. It was a whole thing. Great for team chemistry! Nothing like drawing a line in the dirt against the guy your team just signed for $200 million.

Eventually, someone (probably named Alex Cora) had to play peacemaker and tell him to take a seat — as in the DH spot. So here we are, three games in, and Devers is now 0-for-16 with 12 punchouts. That’s not a slump. That’s a cry for help.

Rafael Devers has had a tough start to the season for Boston:
0/16 | 12 K | 2 BB | 1 RBI pic.twitter.com/ksvjG3lg91

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 30, 2025

Meanwhile, their division rivals in the Bronx are using some MIT-designed bat that should definitely be banned by Major League Baseball and hitting a ridiculous amount of home runs in an already short porched baseball stadium, scoring 10+ runs with ease.

MLB says Yankees’ new Torpedo Bats are legal and likely coming to a dugout near you but are we sure this is what we want?

Trevor Megill calls Yankees’ Torpedo Bat ‘bush league’ and thinks the MLB let it slide because…well, it’s the Yankees

For a team labeled a World Series contender, the Red Sox should probably get their acts together sooner than later, right? At this point, if the MLB thinks torpedo bats are legal, then Devers could definitely use one.

Let’s Be Honest: Rafael Devers Was Never a Good Third Baseman

This isn’t just about striking out. It’s about the whole vibe. This dude has been a below-average defender for years. Like, bad.

The metrics don’t lie, and the eyeball test doesn’t help either. Now you’ve got Bregman, the reigning Gold Glover, and Devers acting like this is some territorial dispute. My guy — you’ve got the footwork of a rusty vending machine. Third base is not your hill to die on.

Maybe Rafael Devers just isn’t built to DH?

It’s fair to say some hitters don’t thrive at DH.

They need the rhythm of defense to stay locked in. And maybe that’s what’s going on here — or maybe Devers is just in his feelings because he was publicly demoted and the team announced it days before the season started. You think that went over well in the clubhouse?

Maybe This Who Devers Is Now?

You pay someone $300 million to be the cornerstone of your lineup, and in Game 3 he’s out here swinging like he’s auditioning for the Savannah Bananas. Meanwhile, Bregman is minding his business, vacuuming grounders at third, and probably wondering why he left Houston for this.

Is it possible that announcing your franchise player, who wants to play third base and has played third base their entire career, will never play third base for your team again, is not a great move right before the season starts?

Rafael Devers is now 0-12 with 10 Ks in 2025. pic.twitter.com/bQAc2fJIgU

— Dan Kelley (@DanKelley66) March 30, 2025

Look, it’s early. Everyone has bad starts. But it’s the context that matters here. The positional standoff, the energy, the body language — it all adds up and now the Red Sox are stuck with Rafael Devers holding a record nobody wants, looking completely lost at the plate, and making the “DH transition” seem like a full-blown existential crisis.

Maybe this gets fixed in a week and he’s back to raking by mid-April. But right now? This feels like the kind of thing that festers — especially in Boston, where the fans and media are always a few bad at-bats away from asking if you should be traded to Japan.

So congrats, Devers. You made history. Just not the kind anyone celebrates.

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